Anat's Holiday Experience

by Shalvi Waldman

0 Comments | Sunday, October 30, 2016 under Holiday Fund

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This past Rosh HaShana and holiday season Yad Eliezer received more requests than ever before. Thanks to your generosity we were able to distribute more than FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN AID!

We are pleased to have helped more than 18,000 families, yet we never lose sight of each individual. One single mother wrote to us to thank us for the help and share her experience. We share her letter with you - without donors like you none of this could have happened - Anat and her children would have had a very different kind of holiday experience.

“As the holidays approach I see hundreds of mothers in the streets, shopping in the stores and preparing for the holidays. I see them buying food, shoes and clothing for their children. I see husbands buying gifts for the wives. I see children carrying the packages with joy and expectation on their faces. And then I get home from work and see my own children with their old clothing, ripped shoes, and prepare them a simple meal of rice and beans.

“They tell me about the adorable outfits that their neighbors have for the holidays, and the big toy that they saw their father bring in to the home. My children’s father hasn’t visited or even called them in years. My salary hardly keeps a roof over our head and food on the table. Things like toys and new clothing remain in the realm of dreams as I bear the burden of carrying my family alone.

“As the holiday gets closer I struggle to keep the despair out of my heart. I want my children to celebrate and enjoy... but how? My daughter learned in kindergarten that on Rosh HaShana we eat apples and honey. She was so excited, we rarely buy fruit, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.

“Three days before the holiday I received an envelope from Yad Eliezer. My heart was overjoyed. In that moment I realized that I am not carrying my burden alone, that someone cares. I had to be careful not to ruin the vouchers with my abundant tears...”

“When my children saw all of the food and treats, including apples and honey that I brought home from the store they started singing and dancing. My eight year old who can be quite sophisticated asked if we’d won the lottery! I nodded in response. As far as I was concerned we had!

“How can I possibly express the depth of my gratitude? Thank you for bringing joy into my home this Rosh HaShana. Thank you for putting a smile on my children’s faces and for banishing the dread from my heart. Thank you letting me know that I am not alone. And thank you for the apples and the honey.”