{ "html": "\x3cdiv class=\"general_button ctools-back-link\"\x3e\x3ca href=\"/resource-libraries/back?back_link=back-link\" class=\"back-link\"\x3eBack\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x3cdiv class=\"resource-buttons\"\x3e\x3cdiv id=\"email-share-button\" class=\"general_button\"\x3e\x3ca href=\"/email-resource-library/5315\" class=\"email-share rounded ctools-use-modal ctools-modal-email-button-display-modal-style\"\x3eEmail\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x3cdiv class=\"resource-general-item\"\x3e\x3cdiv class=\"view view-resource-tree view-id-resource_tree view-display-id-block_5 library-item view-dom-id-2\"\x3e\n    \n  \n  \n      \x3cdiv class=\"view-content\"\x3e\n        \x3cdiv class=\"views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last\"\x3e\n      \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-title\"\x3e\n                \x3cspan class=\"field-content\"\x3eA Slice of Hope\x3c/span\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-post-image-fid\"\x3e\n                \x3cspan class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3cimg src=\"http://www.behrmanhouse.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/library_item_610w/posts/images/tomato_shutterstock_25714510.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"  class=\"imagecache imagecache-library_item_610w imagecache-default imagecache-library_item_610w_default\" /\x3e\x3c/span\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-image-cache-fid\"\x3e\n                \x3cdiv class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-inline-images-fid\"\x3e\n                \x3cdiv class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-related-quote-text-value\"\x3e\n                \x3cdiv class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x26quot;One who is gracious to the poor has lent to God, and God will pay the person\x26#039;s reward.\x26quot;\x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-related-quote-source-value\"\x3e\n                \x3cspan class=\"field-content\"\x3eProverbs 19:17\x3c/span\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-body\"\x3e\n                \x3cdiv class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3cp\x3e\x26nbsp;\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eBehind the headlines extolling Israel\x26#39;s booming economy lurks an awful truth: More than 1.6 million Israelis live in poverty. Even more alarming than that, government experts warn that poverty has increased 20 percent in the last five years; it now afflicts one in three children in the Jewish state.\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eA NATIONAL DISGRACE\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eThe crisis has worsened recently because food costs have soared. In addition, defense spending priorities often force the government to reduce social welfare programs--an economic necessity that has caused widespread suffering. Poverty \x26quot;is the greatest challenge facing the Israeli economy,\x26quot; says Professor Manuel Trajtenberg, an adviser to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Other officials describe the problem more bluntly, calling the country\x26#39;s widening gap between rich and poor a national disgrace. Although the government has pledged to improve the situation by 2010, families like Tova\x26#39;s will not survive on tomatoes for two more years.\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eCOMBATING THE CYCLE OF POVERTY \x3c/strong\x3e\x3cbr /\x3e Severe government budget cuts have forced Israel\x26#39;s poorest citizens to rely on a safety net cast by private organizations. One of the most effective enterprises is Yad Eliezer--the largest anti-hunger agency in Israel. For 28 years, though, Yad Eliezer has accomplished more than merely feeding the hungry.\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x26quot;We do not subscribe to a soup kitchen philosophy,\x26quot; says Dov Vizel, director of Yad Eliezer in Israel. \x26quot;We aim to normalize the family situation as much as possible, delivering food to the households themselves, where children can see their parents as providers.\x26quot; Other hesed programs include job training, mentoring at-risk kids in single parent families, and funding weddings and life-cycle celebrations.\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eBy restoring their clients\x26#39; dignity, Yad Eliezer combats the cycle of poverty. \x26quot;When we see the eyes of our students shine, that is what motivates us,\x26quot; says Eli Ya\x26#39;akovi, coordinator of Yad Eliezer\x26#39;s educational programs in Israel. \x26quot;I derive satisfaction from a child learning, working, and becoming a productive member of society.\x26quot;\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eCORPS OF CARING VOLUNTEERS \x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eYad Eliezer\x26#39;s central office in Jerusalem buzzes with activity, and volunteers and clients of all ages hurry in and out at all hours of the day. Despite the frantic pace, spontaneous acts of kindness regularly occur; for example, one elderly woman recently arrived unannounced. As if she were the only person waiting for help, she frantically waved an overdue electricity bill she could not afford to pay. In many offices, this woman might have been hushed and sternly told to wait her turn. But at Yad Eliezer, a volunteer brewed her a cup of coffee and listened sympathetically.\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eMagnify that single act of hesed ten thousand times, and you begin to appreciate Yad Eliezer. \x26quot;If our small but dedicated staff represents the skeleton of Yad Eliezer,\x26quot; says Milcah Benziman, social services director, \x26quot;then our 10,000 volunteers are its heart and soul.\x26quot; Israelis from all walks of life, and even tourists, volunteer at Yad Eliezer. They pack food boxes, drive trucks, fix appliances, and perform a multitude of other tasks. Their selfless dedication enables 95 percent of Yad Eliezer\x26#39;s donations to go directly to people in need.\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eChana Bracha Reichert, 17, typifies the committed person who volunteers at Yad Eliezer. She recently moved to Israel from Brooklyn, New York. Last July, Chana Bracha and a group of girls from her summer camp volunteered at Yad Eliezer. They packed 50 food cartons with items such as ketchup, pickles, rice, pasta, and canned corn. Chana Bracha told BABAGANEWZ that when she gazed at the mountain of food she had packed, she felt satisfied. \x26quot;Being able to help really made me feel like I accomplished something important,\x26quot; she says. Her satisfaction, however, was fleeting. \x26quot;It\x26#39;s sad,\x26quot; she observes, \x26quot;that so many families lack the basic necessities of life.\x26quot;\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eHESED HEALS\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3eBecause Jewish tradition recognizes that poverty crushes the human spirit, Jews are commanded to aid the needy: \x26quot;Open your hand to the poor and needy kinsmen in your land\x26quot; (Devarim 15:11). And because our religion wisely observes that the poorest among us often walk about unseen, Proverbs 21:13 admonishes, \x26quot;Those who close their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be heard.\x26quot;\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eYAD ELIEZER: BY THE NUMBERS\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\n\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e275 tons\x3c/strong\x3e: chicken distributed to needy families before Rosh Hashanah and Pesach\x3cbr /\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e2,200\x3c/strong\x3e: babies who receive formula each month\x3cbr /\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e292,000\x3c/strong\x3e: cans of tuna distributed annually\x3cbr /\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e73,000\x3c/strong\x3e: food boxes delivered each year\x3cbr /\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e10,000\x3c/strong\x3e: volunteers who pack and distribute food\x3cbr /\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e4,200\x3c/strong\x3e: children assisted by Yad Eliezer\x26rsquo;s Big Brothers and Big Sisters\x3cbr /\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e20 million\x3c/strong\x3e: dollars in Yad Eliezer\x26rsquo;s budget given annually to help the poor\x3c/p\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-lesson-desc-value\"\x3e\n          \x3clabel class=\"views-label-field-lesson-desc-value\"\x3e\n        Lesson summary:\n      \x3c/label\x3e\n                \x3cdiv class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3cp\x3eIn this lesson, students will imagine what a perfect Shabbat meal would look like for them. This will then be compared to a Jewish text that talks about how a meal must include opening your home to those less fortunate. Students will then read about Yad Eliezer and think about major acts of hesed they can do to help relieve hunger in their own communities.\x3c/p\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-lesson-pdf-fid\"\x3e\n          \x3clabel class=\"views-label-field-lesson-pdf-fid\"\x3e\n        Printable lesson:\n      \x3c/label\x3e\n                \x3cspan class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3cdiv class=\"download-file clear-block\"\x3e\x3cimg class=\"filefield-icon field-icon-application-pdf\"  alt=\"application/pdf icon\" src=\"http://www.behrmanhouse.com/sites/all/modules/contrib/filefield/icons/application-pdf.png\" /\x3e\x3ca href=\"/download/file/fid/9051\"\x3eLesson Plan\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x3c/span\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \x3cdiv class=\"views-field-field-additional-files-fid\"\x3e\n          \x3clabel class=\"views-label-field-additional-files-fid\"\x3e\n        Additional PDFs:\n      \x3c/label\x3e\n                \x3cdiv class=\"field-content\"\x3e\x3cdiv class=\"download-file clear-block\"\x3e\x3cimg class=\"filefield-icon field-icon-application-pdf\"  alt=\"application/pdf icon\" src=\"http://www.behrmanhouse.com/sites/all/modules/contrib/filefield/icons/application-pdf.png\" /\x3e\x3ca href=\"/download/file/fid/9052\"\x3eSource Sheet\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n  \x3c/div\x3e\n    \x3c/div\x3e\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\x3c/div\x3e \x3c/div\x3e" }