Vaad Harabbanim’s “Angels” - Vaad harabanim : Vaad harabanim Vaad Harabbanim’s “Angels” - Vaad harabanim

Vaad Harabbanim’s “Angels”

13/17/5776 20.09.2016

Okay, so you want to donate. You’ve done that before. You know that contributing regularly to Vaad Harabbanim is considered normative Jewish behavior (translation: minhag ha’olam).
And you might be sitting there scratching your head, wondering whether your donation actually does any good, after all is said and done. It is a mitzvah, of course, but practically speaking, does it provide real relief to the recipients? Does it produce tangible and lasting results? Or is the money going into a bottomless pit?
Let’s take a look and see if the crisis cases that people donated for actually pulled out of it and got back to normal.

Humpty Dumpty

The kids are getting kind of anxious. Father has been away from home way too much. They are cranky and demanding and misbehaving.
“Abba! You promised that this time you would be at home!”
It looks like a rebellion is brewing up, and he is outnumbered, five to one.
“I’m sorry, but I will have to be with Mommy tonight.”
Mommy has her big operation tonight, unexpectedly, and they placed great hopes on it.
But there were major complications. Mommy didn’t die, but she did end up staying in the hospital for several months longer.
And in the meantime, besides the medical and other expenses, the home was simply falling apart. The once tidy home was a pile of dirty laundry and undone dishes. The once well-behaved children were getting in trouble in school. The atmosphere at home was really off, because Father was only one person, and was getting torn three different directions. The wife in the hospital, the children at home, and his own regular affairs.
It wasn’t working, and it got so bad, it looked like the children were going to suffer long-term damage if Vaad Harabbanim didn’t give some help. Because once humpty-dumpty falls off the wall and breaks, you know how hard it is to put it back together again.
So they did. They came on the scene, set up some of the children with supportive therapy and alternative living situations for the short term, and generally provided guidance and assistance.
End of story: Mother returned home to a grateful and functioning family. The long-term damage, which is extremely expensive in the end, was averted.
Thanks to Vaad Harabbanim’s donors, of course.

Get The Boy Intishrei_5777_vaad_harabanim_05

Aharon’s family is not really that unusual. There are plenty of other families headed by an almanah and populated by yesomim. After all, that’s one of the main reasons why Vaad Harabbanim exists.
So the story is that Aharon finished yeshiva and needed to go on to mesivta. Like every other boy his age. But, naturally, this is harder when the father is not in this world anymore.
It was very important to Aharon to go to a certain mesivta, and it happened to be the same one his father z”l went to, but… is this really the right place for the boy? Maybe he doesn’t really belong there? Just because Aharon wants, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right thing, or even good for him.
So, who’s to say? Who’s to check it out, whether it is the right thing for Aharon, and if it is, to get him accepted? We all know that the better a mesivta it is, the harder it is to get accepted, especially when the family situation is non-standard, and there is not much money there for tuition fees.
That’s why a family like this needs a contact person in Vaad Harabbanim. The contact person keeps in touch with the family on an ongoing basis, keeps up with any special needs that arise, and offers active assistance when that is needed.
This is on top of the special funds that are established and maintained for the orphans, to provide financial security for their present and their future, until they are married.
So, the contact person got on the case, checking out the mesivta, checking out Aharon, and checking out someone who can speak to the administration over there, to get Aharon accepted, since it really is the right place for him.
Aharon got in to the mesivta, and it was a very big day for him when the good news came through.
But the contact person didn’t go back to sleep after that. For the next half a year, he kept checking in periodically, to make sure things were okay with Aharon, and okay with the mesivta administration.
Thanks to Vaad Harabbanim’s donors, because they support these almanos and yesomim, not just financially, but in other ways, too.

Chaim is not late today

Chaim was on his way to work. He was not late, the traffic was not unusually heavy, and he was doing fine, until another car swerved out of its lane and smashed into him.
Chaim was injured. He didn’t die, but he needed an operation.
Obviously, there is insurance.
Right.
The car insurance said it was a work-related accident.
The work insurance said it was not covered.
Chaim is injured, needs an operation, and even in the best of times, is not very good at navigating idiotic bureaucracy.
What to do?
Vaad Harabbanim put up the money for Chaim’s operation, and made sure to get every cent back from the insurance afterward. That’s what lawyers are for, and Vaad Harabbanim has access to good legal counsel, baruch Hashem.
So, thanks again, to Vaad Harabbanim’s donors!

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