Colel Chabad has been committed to helping needy families and the elderly in Israel since its inception in 1788. But this year—with its 23 soup kitchens across Israel shuttered and dozens of public Seders canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic—staff and volunteers are in a race against time to provide tens of thousands more people than ever before with food and matzah for the eight-day holiday of Passover, which is less than a week away.
“We are home-delivering dry goods, matzah, and fruits and vegetables to thousands of families for Passover,” Rabbi Menachem Traxler, volunteer coordinator at Colel Chabad, tells Chabad.org. “In addition, more than 2,000 Seder-to-Go kits will be sent out to individuals who have previously participated in one of Colel Chabad’s communal Passover Seders. The food package will include a full Seder experience complete with disposables, shmurah matzah, wine and a Seder guide.”
In normal times, Colel Chabad delivers food to more than 10,800 families in 48 municipalities across Israel each month. In addition, this year, the Welfare Ministry of Israel is partnering with Colel Chabad to distribute food stamps to 30,000 families living below the poverty line before the holiday. Plus, they are increasing home deliveries of food to 7,000 more families, thanks to a partnership with Keren LeYedidut, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
The increased efforts are “quite an ambitious goal, but an achievable one,” says Traxler. “Single parents and individuals with at-risk or special-needs children are priority cases. Obviously, all of the above is carried out in a discreet manner,” he adds, with the assistance of social workers and mental-health professionals, and strictly conforming to the safety guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health.
For the hundreds of volunteers who work with Colel Chabad, it is an opportunity to help. “Now, because of COVID-19, there are so many older people who can’t go shopping,” says Shay Weisel, who works in the deliveries department of Colel Chabad. “We are taking care of it for them. We buy all the food items they need from the supermarket and deliver it to their door. It’s such an honor to be part of Colel Chabad, in ways that I can’t even describe.”
‘No One Should Feel Lonely This Pesach’
One of Colel Chabad’s lesser known services is providing Chabad centers in Israel with food for their communal Passover Seders. Rabbi Yisroel and Shosi Goldberg, directors of Chabad of Rechavia in Jerusalem, have been benefiting from Colel Chabad’s services for years, and with their communal Seder canceled this year, the couple is relying on Colel Chabad to prepare food for former attendees who are now homebound.
“We usually have about 300 people at our Seder, and Colel Chabad provides gourmet catered food, wine and matzah,” says Goldberg. “This year, because of the current outbreak, we won’t be having a communal Seder, but we will be delivering food and Seder kits to many members of our community. There are elderly people who for the first time in decades won’t be able to join their families’ Passover Seder. All Jews are like one extended family; our goal is that no one should feel lonely this Pesach,” he says.
With its 23 soup kitchens across Israel shuttered and dozens of public Seders canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Colel Chabad is also home-delivering dry goods, matzah, and fruits and vegetables to thousands of families for Passover.
Goldberg, who will be running an online “Model Seder” webinar from his home in advance of the holiday, says he wants members of his community to feel empowered to conduct Seders of their own.
“A lot of people have all the necessary materials for the Seder, but feel overwhelmed at the thought of leading a Seder on their own. Others don’t have the necessary materials and would benefit from being provided with them,” explains Goldberg. “The webinar, combined with the Seder kits that Colel Chabad has provided for us to distribute, will hopefully be a strong stepping stone for people to feel comfortable leading the Seder in their own homes this year.”
To contribute to Colel Chabad’s Passover initiative, as well as their work throughout the year, visit their donation page here.
The increased efforts are “quite an ambitious goal, but an achievable one.”
Single parents and individuals with at-risk or special-needs children are priority cases for food deliveries.
