JCCRP Pesach prep is well under way

IMG Volunteers from NCSY packaging food last year

Caption: Volunteers from NCSY packaging food in 2018

IMG Dr. Esther Rose Lowy a’’h

Caption: Dr. Esther Rose Lowy, a’h

IMG Pesach Prep Well Underway

Caption: JCCRP Pesach prep is well under way

IMG Local Yeshiva Boys Setting Up the Food Drive.jpg

Caption: Local yeshiva boys setting up the JCCRP food drive

Your Neighbors Are Struggling:

Ma’os Chittim, also known as “kimcha d’Pischa,” refers to the responsibility upon everyone to give tzedakah prior to Pesach in order to help the less fortunate to cover their yom tov expenses. Not only is Pesach the yom tov of freedom, but it is also intended to impart to every person a feeling of royalty. As such, efforts must be made to ensure that even those in need can join us in feeling this way.

Local yeshiva boys setting up the JCCRP food drive

For over 50 years the Combined Passover Fund has served the Jewish needy in our Five Towns and Rockaway community and this year the funds donated will be matched! Thanks to a generous funder, until erev Pesach, every donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000! This allows you to double your donation, double your impact, and double your mitzvah!

With the funds that you help provide, the JCCRP is able to give families financial assistance that enables them to purchase food and other necessities to help celebrate Pesach. One-hundred percent of the funds collected are allocated directly to needy individuals and families. Your contribution makes this possible.

Volunteers from NCSY packaging food in 2018

The Maos Chittim drive is dedicated in loving memory of Dr. Esther Rose Lowy, a’h, a beloved woman who was born and raised in Far Rockaway. She is remembered for her passion, her love of Israel, and her intense dedication to her family, her community, and her students. Despite her own illness, Dr. Lowy cared for her elderly mother, without the help of any professional aides, until a few weeks before her own passing, refusing to give up on the mitzvah of caring for her mother until she was no longer physically capable. Dr. Lowy passed away on December 19, 2014. Her husband, Rudy, her children Elie, Ephraim, Mindi Weinberg, Tova Pfeffer, Devorah Pelman, Naphtali, Shuli, and Chaim, and many grandchildren, bli ayin ha’ra, carry on her legacy.

Ephraim Lowy remembers his mother as being the ultimate manifestation of the word chesed. “My mother viewed her home as ‘hers’ in name alone. It was a home where everyone was welcome, regardless of background, views, or even an invitation for that matter. Whatever we had, we had to share. I cannot think of a single time my parents said no to the opportunity to host someone. People would come for Shabbos, for meals, or to vacation in Los Angeles, and they would always feel as if they were in their own home. It is with the memory of my mother’s passing in mind that I am spearheading our community’s food drive to feed the needy this Passover. Holidays are especially difficult for the needy as their needs increase when their funds are most scarce. Helping feed the needy is an essential component of simchas yom tov according to the Rambam. I remember how much pain it would cause my mother to see those in need, and I hope to contribute to her legacy by doing just a little bit to help the less fortunate. Please join me this year as we continue to spread her legacy by helping our local families this yom tov.”

Currently, over 300 local families are counting on you! With your support, these families will have adequate food on their yom tov table. As the yom tov of Pesach approaches, please help your neighbors in need and share in this most beautiful mitzvah of maos chittim.

Moshe Brandsdorfer, executive director at the JCCRP, remarked, “Last year the JCCRP collected and distributed over $70,000 in funds and food for Pesach. This year, as our community has grown, so has the need to help those who are struggling. The generosity and achdus in our community is incredible, truly a kiddush Hashem.”

Please make out your tax-deductible contribution to the JCCRP. Checks can be mailed to the JCCRP office located at 1525 Central Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY, 11691. Donations can also be made at JCCRP.org “Pesach Fund.”

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