Spotlight on Doing Good

At your seder, you likely heard “Ha Lachma Anya” or “This is the bread of poverty/affliction.” Poverty is not something we have been able to leave behind in Egypt, and it’s still very much present in the Jewish community. Eighty million Americans, including Jews, are experiencing food insecurity today, a shocking doubling of pre-COVID estimations of about forty million people. It’s exactly what we’ve seen at the Valley Beth Shalom Food Bank, which is still distributing twice as much food as it was before March 2020. It’s been difficult to quantify hunger in the Jewish community, but we see it every day.  

We’re in week one of counting the Omer. This is the week of chesed, loving-kindness. The VBS Executive Committee had the idea of loving and caring for our community members by sponsoring their seder meals. Scott Howard, VBS past president and current Administrative Vice President, came to Nitzan Barlev and Rabbi Noah Farkas with the committee’s idea of sponsoring seder meals for Jewish families in need.

Scott shared how this came to be:

“The past year has been difficult for many people in our community and has affected the way we celebrate holidays. We wanted to make sure we could reach out to those who may need help celebrating Passover with a traditional Passover meal for their seder. So many of us are fortunate to not be in need, and part of what we learn in our tradition from our Rabbis is to be there for those who are not as fortunate. Passover seemed to be a good time to start what we hope to make a tradition to help our community during holidays. We would also like to start a Shabbat dinner program in the future, and to make this a broader community effort.” 

Along with Yossi Dresner, Ritual Director, and Susan North Gilboa, OurSpace LA Director, Nitzan identified seven Jewish households who could use the support this year. Not so different from the general population, the recipients of these meals were seniors living on limited social security income, caregivers for family members with disabilities and single moms struggling in a pandemic economy and long term unemployment. The orders were sent to our in-house caterer, LA Kosher, and the VBS Helping Hands volunteers picked up the meals and delivered them to the families. 

When families heard they would be receiving a full seder meal, they were filled with disbelief and gratitude. One parent told Susan, “I was actually wondering how I was going to provide all of the Passover food for my children who are still learning from home due to the pandemic. They need me every minute.” Many shared their appreciation for the kindness, and found it very helpful at such a challenging time. Sometimes reaching out to ask for help doesn’t feel like an option. One of the recipients acknowledged that “I’m a proud woman, I don’t like to ask for help. I want to only help others. Having my needs known without having to ask is really special.”  

If you or anyone you know is struggling with food insecurity or is in need of support, please reach out to Nitzan at 818-530-4035 or nbarlev@vbs.org. 

Article written by Nitzan Barlev.