Children at risk

‘If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.’
Isaiah 58:10

The project that we have been very actively supporting from the beginning, is the Jaffa Institute led by Rabbi David Portowicz. Who are being helped? Children from disadvantaged families, orphans, or children with an alcoholic father and a mother who cannot cope with the family. In what way? Through a school in Jaffa and a boarding school in Beth Shemesh with hundreds of students. Year after year this project prepares students to be of value to the Israeli community. It’s wonderful to get to be a part of this thanks to your prayers and donations.

Israel appears to be a wealthy country, but those who look behind the scenes know better. In Jaffa (near Tel Aviv), Bet Shemesh and Jerusalem, thousands of children are saved from ruin through the wonderful work of Rabbi David Portowicz and dozens of his staff. Day after day they devote themselves to the care of underprivileged boys and girls. They have been doing this for over 20 years now. The kids come from run-down areas and slums, live on the edge of depravity and survive only with help from the outside.

Hunger and lack of nutritious food are the order of the day in the area where the Jaffa Institute is located. In Tel Aviv-Jaffa alone, 53% of the population lives on or below the poverty line. For over 30 years, the Jaffa Institute has been meeting a great need by providing after-school care and offering education to thousands of underprivileged children in Israel. In 1982 it started with just handing out sandwiches to schoolchildren, but the work has greatly expanded since them. At the moment, the Jaffa Institute is assisting around 4,500 children all over Israel.

Rabbi David Portowicz has twice won the President’s Prize for Excellence in Education. Like no other he knows what Jewish and Arab children from the slums need most. The very first things are love, attention and understanding. Additionally, they also need the necessary knowledge to build their own future.

Rabbi David Portovicz

Rabbi Portowicz: “The most important reason why I believe that people should support the Jaffa Institute, is that our institution has proven that change is possible. To people who want to support us, I can honestly say: Your investment in the Jaffa Institute is worthwhile!”

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