#140: Behind the Bima - Volunteering Efforts in Israel

From Boca Raton, Florida, this is behind the Bema. In this episode, Rabbi Goldberg is joined by co-host Rabbi Philip Moskowitz and Rabbi Josh Brody. The rabbis speak to Meir Rubin, to Alex Kats of Eretz Chemda, and to Menachem Traxler, director of Pantry Packers, who take a look into the Israeli community's unity and dedication during these challenging times. The rabbis and their guests explore the incredible work done by various groups who share the experiences about the partnerships formed, the volunteer initiatives, and the resource assistance they provide. Plus, a report from a soldier on the front lines sharing a heart-wrenching experience losing his commander in battle. Also, hear the inspiring story of a founder of a philanthropic organization giving insights into his journey from his Texan roots to establishing an inclusive charity in Israel. He sheds light on their mission, methods of operation, use of donations, and empowers people to join their cause. All this and more behind the Bema. Welcome to the newest episode of Behind the Bema. Honored, pleased, privileged to be joined by my dear brothers, Rabbi Moskowitz and Rabbi Brody. And tonight we want to talk to you and share with you a little bit from our trips to Israel and upcoming trips to Israel, some of the partners that we've formed. Not only to tell you about our trips, but also hopefully so you can plan yours, cuz these are incredible partners that can empower you to make a difference, whether you can't go to Israel yet, but you can help them with resources, or you can go, they can help coordinate an incredible incredible visit. So, here are the people we're going to talk to tonight. First was Alex Kats, Kehilat Eretz Chemda. He's a layperson. He's a complete volunteer. And and yet, since October 7th, he's taken this fledgling community that's less than 1 year old, the shul, and he's transformed it to be this conduit and vehicle of making a huge difference. And Alex connected with us and took us to incredible places, introduced us to incredible people, and most of all, let us take our community's resources and get the things that people need into their hands without question, with credibility, and without overhead. Alex is a great partner, and we're really excited that you get to meet him. And I'll tell you why I think that's such an important conversation, because as we've spoken about, you know, that's I think one of the biggest challenges we've had as the rabbis in America since this all started, is how do you direct people's passion? How do you direct their giving? Right. You probably get, Rabbi, what? 20, 30 texts a day, certainly at the beginning, if not more than that, of people saying, "Either I want to give, where do I give it?" or my cousin's, uncle's, dog's unit needs, you know, flashlights. This is the most biggest priority. We have to make sure it happens right away. And you, as the steward of our community, wants to make sure you're being responsible in directing that passion. And that's why Alex has been such an important partner with us. Yes, and I remember Rabbi Brody, maybe you could comment on this. I know that we an article came out recently. Somebody did a I don't know why I need to study or how it was uh discovered, but in the first month after the war, after October 7th, the Jewish community of North America donated a billion with a B, billion dollars, 1 billion. It's incredible. What a testimony, what a testament. It's a It's a small drop in the bucket for what Israel likely needs and our brothers and sisters likely need. The part that I haven't seen and I'm curious about, no accusation, no criticism, no judgment, no suspicion, I just I would love to see some transparency or some report. Where is that billion dollars spent? Yeah. Why do we still hear from individual people, "I need gloves, I need warmer shoes, we need a scope, we need a drone, we need a case, we need that billions of dollar How was it Again, it's a drop in the bucket. I'm I'm sure that we could give out 50 billion, all would go to a good causes right now. But is there any reporting? Has anybody seen any transparency? That billion dollars, how was it distributed? Where did it go? Did it get where it was intended? Did it get where it needs? Why are there still some gaping holes? Yeah, so of the billion dollars, about 700 million dollars plus was raised by the Jewish Federations of North America, but they've only allocated about 200 million. So, it has not yet been distributed and the 200 million dollar allocation is transparent, it's clear, it's going to all of those trusted partners. Many of those partners are also raising their own money. So, the other 300 million dollars, more than 300 million dollars, is going to all of those great trusted partners like United at Solo, like FIDF and Yeah, for sure. And and again, this is not the purpose of our episode, we don't have to belabor this, but so so when someone reaches out to us and says my unit needs and here's the average they're getting can we send them then to the place that still has 500 million in the reserves? I guess they can you can. Okay, good to know. Go ahead. That's how I got the number right now. I was thinking about our conversation with with Menachem Traxler, which is going to come up. I think one of the most extraordinary things that he does is he's so detailed in the accounting of Oh, yeah. what money came in and where it's going and there is that accountability for it and I know as a for us that gives us the confidence that it's being used wisely and properly. And to be clear again, we love, we support, we are incredibly to the organizations and the established organizations that have done an amazing job of raising enormous money. It's not a doubt or criticism suspicion. It's I think collectively, if you're listening, you're watching this, you probably feel this way, too, is we're all kind of curious, who's in charge? Who's the adult in the room? Who's looking at the total picture of what we need, what's been collected, how is it best distributed, how does it get where it needs to go? And as I said, a billion is a drop in the bucket. We need many multiples of that. So, there's no suspicion it's going to the wrong place, it's just how can we do it most efficiently? Which Menachem Traxler so maybe maybe talk about what what our listeners are going to hear from from Menachem Traxler tonight. He's an amazing person. So, you're going to hear tonight some uh professionals, you can hear some volunteers. But even the professionals are not doing this cuz it's a 9-to-5 job. I think they're doing it cuz it's their passion. It's they they've been given a mission and whether you knew them from the pantry packers days like we've all gone and volunteered and hoped that no one saw when we spilled over the beans and like you know we did our best. We tried our we tried our hardest. But today they're they're they're at the forefront with with with their with their platform to distribute money to the point where the Israeli government is turning to them because they have the only method of getting money to the people that need it. Absolutely. And Reb Moskowitz, what can people expect to meet from Near Rubin, those who have not heard of him yet from us? Near Rubin is an extraordinary human being. He's a an extraordinary Jew, and you are going to hear a real, raw, passionate, genuine, sincere conversation. Near, we spoke about last week, is a dear friend of our communities. We were with him together in Israel. Um he was playing, singing, davening for the soldiers of the IDF. And as we alluded to last week, he went straight from there into Gaza, suffered a an an a devastating loss of a dear friend while in Gaza. And Near is going to talk about that. And if you've If if if you want to connect emotionally, and I think spiritually, to what's going on on the front lines, direct from a soldier who is there, who's got a heart of gold, you're going to hear that in the extraordinary conversation with Near Rubin. Our episodes tend to go on for a little more than an hour, a lot more than an hour. First of all, we don't feel bad. We won't apologize. Nobody's making anybody watch or listen. We also are rabbis. We tend to to talk. But also because these people have amazing stories. And we hope that you, whether you listen to it in in one sitting or while doing one thing, or you break it up and press pause and keep coming back each episode. Near Near's words will change your life. And and Alex is an example of a person who's not doing this professionally, what a volunteer can do in a time of crisis. And Menachem, that passion, that calling Reb Brody spoke about. So, however many increments you listen, each of them are worth listening to what they have to say. They will change you and inspire you. And we're honored to bring them to you. It is a mamash. It's mamash a great zchut and a joy for us to be with our dear friend near near Reuben and we've known him now for for several years and feel incredibly close to maybe now more than ever near you should know last week on this podcast behind the Bema we talked about our trip to Israel and we spoke about the history thanks to our by Moscow it's peace of mind the connection Danny and others and then how we saw you on this trip and how you sang for us and then how you went right from there into a mission and how tragically that was such a difficult and painful mission unfortunately who you did not come home with so our audience knows who you are already but the opportunity to speak to you directly is very special. We know it's cold outside we can't say where you are exactly but somewhere near Gaza let's just say still in service fighting for the Jewish people as a reservist this is not your life but you have a beautiful family and you're leading your life and you're singing for Am Israel and Israel and bringing your talents in so many other ways. First of all tell us how you are doing. I'm well thank you very much and hi to everyone. First of all I want to say that I'm it's not my story it's not only me you know I'm just only a small part piece of huge puzzle with all my team and all the unit and all the people that left their life uh I don't know wife children work whatever you you have in your life and just put it aside and now we have only the country between our eyes uh and this night that you spoke about it that we met um it was it was like how I would say it in English it's like it's like you know huge light that you see the people under the sea and the and the end of the world and they hug us and they and they said us thank you for what we did and when I cross the board at this night, I said to myself, it's not only for me, it's not it's not only for my unit and my family, it's it's for our like as a Jew people around the world. We are all one. So, it was pleasure to see you. Um I don't know how much people know what happened at this night. Actually, we just met and laugh and sing and play together. You remember this night. It was unbelievable night together. And then I crossed the board uh to my team um at uh 2:00 2:30 a.m. uh morning very early and dark outside uh came to our little base um terrorist and we killed him and we did what we need to do. So, we we had at this time like kind of hero. You know, we killed a terrorist. Everybody came and say well done. You do it exactly what you what you need to do in this moment. And we went to sleep at 5:00 5:15 a.m. We get to sleep. When I said to get to sleep, it's mean that I just take my body to and lie on the ground, yeah. Um at 5:00 it was something like 20 25 minutes after I went to sleep I came up when hundreds of bullets fly behind my head. Um so, I got up and took all my stuff. And then I heard someone shout we have wounded wounded but so I in Hebrew. Um And when I get him to help him because I'm kind of medical Um I saw my friend from my team. Um amazing people amazing family His name is his name is Abishai. He have three girls little child and amazing wife. He was the I don't know how to say it. He run on triathlon. How do you say it in English? triathlon with a bicycle and all Yeah, triathlon. triathlon tough guy, you know, tough guy. Very tough guy. And I saw him and he and he was so um white I don't know what that means. So I understood uh at the start that that he he needed blood. He don't have blood. So I thought to myself if he's so white So he get the bullet. So if we have the the entry of the bullets, we just need to find the where we get out. So I just pulled all the clothes and try to figure out where was the the the I don't know how to say it in English actually. The bullet hole, the the exit hole. Yeah. And we didn't find it. Um then we understood that the bullets never get out. It just did what it did inside the body. And we will try with doctors. And after 15 minutes, um the doctor told me, uh it's not me. We cannot save him. So, I give him a big kiss on the head. And I ask him forgiveness. And I said that I'm sorry. In my name and my all my friend name. And then I cover him. So, at uh 2:30 at this night, I think before at at it was I think 9:00, maybe 8:00 p.m. day before, I I felt that that I met with with angels. It was was you. You guys. People that come came just to be with us, just to say that we are together. I feel like it angels. That was at 8:00, just 6 hours after I Everyone said that we are hero. And 3 hours after, we lost one of us. This is our people story. This is our nation story, I think. And uh At this time, um we know after 2 weeks that we have to put our all focus to win this war against this people that don't want us is they don't want us here. And the only reason they don't want us is here it's that we are Jew. This is the only reason. And I feel that like all the world all the the people even our our enemy say us we all don't care that that you fight in between you that you are small and many that they kill only you are Jew that's it. This is the reason. I really hope that we learn from this lesson because we get huge lesson uh for for everyone. We need to take this lesson for for me. I need to take it. You need to take it. She need to take it. And just do what we what we know to do. But we know to do it by the history only in the bad times. I hope that we can do it in the good times that will come and that will and they will come. Amen. Amen. Nerya, is it hard for you when when the commander was killed? Does the unit now go fight with more motivation or is it hard for a unit? You know, we first met you through Peace of Mind, a unit that was trying to heal and recover from having been in combat. And it's like Hashem sent the refuah before the makah to meet you and have that connection. None of us dreamt that your unit would be back in war and maybe maybe even harder and and more difficult circumstances. What's it like for your unit after losing a commander, someone you admired, looked up to, and loved, who you kissed and said goodbye to, to have to continue to fight? Give us some some sense in the mindset of of the soldiers who have to continue to fight even after suffering a loss. First of all, we we have to to remember that it's not our first time. You know, because we've been together and spoke about it that that we we got what we had in in Lebanon in 2006. Then we lost our best friends. I lost my my matchmaker a week before my wedding. Uh you all remember you know that. So, it's not our first time. Every soldier that you going to meet and ask him if he is afraid, he said to you that he is not afraid, he's lying. Because he is afraid to be in in war area. But, when you remember and at this time we don't even remember because it's it's it's only all the time it's in our head. Remember that what happened in October 7, remember the reason, and remember the the the emunah, the faith, right? Why? Why we do it? And when somebody know the why, the how it's so easy. So, yes, we are afraid. Yes, we lost our best people on the earth. I promise you, the best people. I promise you. But, we know the why. And I'll tell you something more. If Adi been If if I if I get only five five words to speak with Adi. I know for 100% that Adi would told me go and do what you need to do. He know that we know that when this war completed in huge win we have a lot of time to sit together, to hug to to cry to cry. We need to cry. But not now. Mhm. Not now. We didn't finish it. Mhm. Nir, I've I've a lot of questions for you, but I don't want to dominate the conversation, but for you those who don't know you I'll tell them Nir is a an extremely gifted musician. Um you play all across Israel and as part of your experience in 2006 was you actually made like a musical almost um play show about your friend and about your experience which is very powerful. You played it here in Boca a few times. Um in the night at 8:00 at night you were on the stage, you were singing and it was you were using your musical abilities. Um after the 5:15 and the 5:45 a.m. and and losing Adi and and uh being through those horrors is music still a part of it for you? Will you be able to sing again? Will you be able to find that inner strength to get up on stage and bring simcha to other people or is or is the world too dark for you right now? Very good question. Very hard question. Because you know that the music is part of me. And I feel all these days from it happened I cannot make happiness for people because I don't have nothing of something of happiness inside me right now. So, I cannot bring to other people what I have no it. And I And I have no happiness. I'm not happy. I'm not happy. The music is like medical I will say to what Medicine. Medicine. It's It's It's a medicine. It's I feel that uh the time came I come back to to play. I did it only once. Uh from it's happened It wasn't Hanukkah. And it was at the moment that I came from the army. I know that um behind this door I have four children. I have wife. And all of them wait only for me to light Hanukkah. And I said to myself you're going to open this door and put the biggest smile that you can have. You're going to hug them. And I said to me myself I can do it the best if I don't bring the guitar. So, I get to the car again. Go to my went to my studio, took the guitar. And then I get inside to house to my house. And we did it like at Hanukkah with the guitar with songs. I don't know. Only time. Rabbi Philip, you know that better than everybody. Only the time. I I have to and I'm sorry for going personal here a little bit. I apologize to the other rabbis, but I think it's important for people to know. A number of years ago, so as we as we spoke about, you came to our community peace of mind. You were a unit that had suffered serious losses in 2006 and and we hosted you and obviously there was an immediate kashrus nafshi. There was a real connection that we felt to you and to your entire unit. Um you know, and then life goes on and you know, obviously you're still in touch with many members of our community and we're still in touch periodically. But um last year when when I was in Israel and we were there for for Esti and we showed up at Eretz Chaim and I I I need our listeners to realize the connection that could be created between Americans and Israelis through programs like this and the impact that they have. This was many years after we hosted you in our community. And Rabbi Goldberg was there with me and we got out of the van and immediately I got surrounded by about 20 men. And at first I I I didn't recognize you all cuz it was dark and you were wearing winter clothes and you were wearing hats and you all gave me the biggest hug and then I realized it was you and your unit and people came from all over the country simply to be there together with me. And I want our listeners to know that that in my darkest moment you were there for me and we were there and continue to be there with you during your difficulties and will continue to be there every step of the way for you and for your unit. And you know, people hear about programs and they hear about oh yeah, we hosted some soldiers and you know, but then they went back to Israel. No one should ever underestimate the power that can be created between Jews on our side of the ocean and in Israel. And I want to thank you for that and you You it's unfortunate that we keep on meeting under these circumstances, but I give us both a bracha that we should at some point be zoche to celebrate and to play music together and to bring joy into the lives of other people as well. Amen. Amen. Mashiach. When Mashiach Amen. Amen. Now then, Rabbi Brody, you want to bring us home with one last question Yeah, just one last question. I think everyone is so impressed with with everything that the IDF is doing right now. But at the same time, we're so nervous and so concerned this is going to be dragged on, it looks like for for who knows how long, weeks, months. Hopefully not that long, but but it just There's there's no end in sight right now. Is there a fatigue that sets in, and how do you overcome that? I get losing Yeah. I think I think that the I said to someone it's it's my opinion, yeah? I don't know if it's my opinion. I think that this war um who want this war? The woman. The woman that stay in house with the children all the time. At the time that we are all fighting, right. But we have together, we are one for everybody, you know? And they're over there far far away, alone. And only the time that they going to be strong, we are here strong. I said to you I see the the the soldier eyes. They know why and they go to win. We don't have any other choices. Only win. That's it. That's That's exactly what going to happen. But we need the woman and for our lucky, you know, we have the the the aliyot. The the woman of Israel, the best of the best. You cannot find better. So, I think that this is a great opportunity for me to say for all the women that see us and listen for us now, uh thank you. Thank you very much. We so appreciate here. Uh and this war, it's not our war, only the soldiers. The this war, it's our the nation of Israel war, everyone. Um you guys in America, we in Israel, the the women, the the men's, the soldiers, everybody. Near, from the bottom of our hearts, we love you. We say thank you. Thank you for making this time. We know you need to get some sleep and get something to eat. And the like Rabbi Moscowitz would say, Actually, we just we have 1 hour from now and we're getting inside, but don't tell anything for the Hamas, okay? 1 hour from now. Go go in safely, come out safely. Take care of what you need to do. tell you why, because if you say something and we know that they're really afraid from us. So, they go inside to the tunnels like like rabbits, you know? So, don't tell them because we want that they're going to be in outside and then you know what we're going to do. 100% 100% Hashem Yishmor. We love you. Thank you. We can't wait in the victory to celebrate the victory with you, to cry with you, and when Beze rat Hashem Moshiach comes to welcome back the people who we miss so dearly and to be able to have that reunion together with you. Thank you, Near. We love you. Amen. Thank you. We so love you. You don't know how much we speak about you, all of you. We want to say thank you very much. We so appreciate Rabbi Goldberg, Rabbi Moscowitz, Rabbi Brody. Thank you so much. We love you. Love you, you It's a great pleasure to be behind the Bima with our dear friend. It's It's amazing, Alex, to know someone for such a short period of time and feel like you've known them forever and consider them a dear friend, but that's how that's how we feel about you, Alex Cat, a leader founder of Kehilat Eretz Chemdah in Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh, made his way via Memphis and elsewhere and we'll hear more about that in a moment. Alex, you're doing amazing things. You really enabled us to have so far two amazing trips and we have more planned ahead and feel that we were in a tiny way making our own impact and for that we'll forever be grateful to you. And we're excited to to talk to you and share with the world what you've been doing really as a volunteer and as an example and a model of the spirit right now in Israel, not only those who have been called up to fight on the front lines, but the spirit of those who are called up in life and put their lives on hold and and you are a incredible example of that. So, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. You know, in many ways I actually feel like I'm on the front lines cuz there's really a front line for the ones who are wearing the weapons every day in uniform, but there's really the front lines who are right behind them supplying everything that they need and I really feel very much like a a form of captain in this in that in that ship. So, I pre- I'll give you the background of the background of how we met. Um was we planned this trip with really not a clear picture of what we were going to do when we got there the first time that we went knowing that we're bringing 102 duffels, but beyond that not knowing much more after that and and coming out of minion or a sheer one morning, a mutual friend of ours who belongs to Kehilat Eretz Chemdah when he's in Israel said this is guy, he's incredible. You got to meet him. Ari Kehilat's doing really special things. You have to connect with him. You'll be able to do great stuff. And and he's a wonderful person. It's not a statement about him, but we were basically like, okay, you know, we'll we'll meet we'll meet this person and see where that goes and and that introduction was was a game changer for us, of course. And so we're grateful we we did make that connection. But maybe share with everybody a little bit about your background. Well, actually, forget your background. We'll come back to that. Let's start with fast forward to today. What is Kehilat Eretz Chemdah, and how does a small fledgling new shul in Yerushalayim be at the forefront of supplying soldiers, running the tzitzit campaign, and so much more? So, I think it does pay to go back slightly because that mutual friend that we're talking about, really what makes us so unique is that you have someone who is a member of your shul and a member of our shul. I can think of others like former ambassador David Friedman, a member of your guys' shul, your community, a member of our shul. There's many, many others like that. And I think that what has been the success that we've built in such a very short time is that people in the diaspora feel like they can have a home. Like, many people have second homes. They have in Yerushalayim or elsewhere in Israel or around the world. And we are that spiritual home for them outside of the United States or outside of other places so that everyone can have libi mizrach, you know, their their heart facing uh east. So, so that really is it sort of became uh one of our our goals uh as we realized such a great need for it. Um we're 11 months old as a kehilah. It's kind of hard to believe that we're not even at our 1-year anniversary. Parshat Shmot, it's like it's around the corner. Um and and one might ask, how do you have um a shul that is in the heart of Yerushalayim that is based um I would say 70% of olim over the in the last 10 years, and then another 30% of English-speaking Israeli-born uh natives. Um and then we're an Ashkenazic shul, but we happen to have hired a Moroccan Sephardic Hebrew-speaking rav um who who I know that we've all spent time with and that you guys I know he loves you guys, and you guys love him. It it's what we really set out to do about 11 months ago was to take the best aspects of um what we what we all felt and experienced in America kind of change it a little bit in the post COVID era and combine it with everything that's amazing with the spirituality and the and the connection to Eretz Yisrael and we took about 20 initially very very serious growth oriented families were extremely serious about our firm kite and our hashkafa and we don't want to be put into a box. Israel's famous for having boxes your Haredi your Tzioni like to to to try and be both is is is a major contradiction here and we said we're going to turn that on its head and we're going to do something unique and you know we set up 80 chairs I believe it was in our first job as almost a year ago and 250 people showed up that first Friday night hanging from the rafters. I know you guys have spent a lot of time here recently with me and I guess the next question is when you guys are all coming for Shabbos but that's another question but but so we we created this at first a a shul and then a community and and then October 7th happened and it really just put the entire thing on steroids and and we just became we just said hinenei here I am like it's it's a team effort it's myself other board members Tuvia Elbaum as you remember with all of the bags as well Moshe Raz a lawyer with connections in the Merkaz office he spent hours hours upon hours trying to help with that it's really an effort that so many people Richard Norman and Benji Levy and and there's so many others where we we all came together and and just said we want to create a kehilla because one thing Yerushalayim was not known for at least before I moved here was having a community was more like Manhattan you know you go to shul you go home and and you see people you greet them but that's the extent of it and we wanted a way and a community that that could take care of one another and I think that's what we've that's what we've created and because of the war and because we stepped into needs that needed to be met, I think it's really put us on the map in terms of people from all over the country and all over the world looking for ways to get involved. We should mention you're in the heart of Katamon, that's where this Kehila is in Jerusalem. But Alex, what would you say that there are communities, some of them American and fledgling, some more well-established, some large, some small. And I don't know, maybe they exist in certain I'm not critical of anybody. I don't know anyone who stepped up and stepped forward and became this address to help and created the war room that I'm sure you'll describe. What was the what was the catalyst of it? And what do you think if people want to get involved themselves, whether they're in Israel or outside of Israel, and they're not part of an organization, they don't have a title, they're not doing it professionally, they're just regular people who want to get involved. What what's the secret sauce? What was the magic that made Kehilat Eretz Chemda gel together to become making this difference? I I just think that you had a lot of people that were motivated to that were not motivated by kavod, were not motivated by Instagram. I mean, before October 7th, none of us had any social media presence. The Kehila didn't have a social media presence. We were just looking sort of inward to take care of our own and it started that way. As you know, that on October 7th, Motzei Shabbos, I gave one of my cars to our Rav and he left, you know, ran to the north to go manage his over 1,000 soldiers. And then we had five other members of our Kehila go south and to all other places. Starting Sunday morning, they called us. They had needs and I was just like, I don't really know how to do any of this, but let's start making phone calls. And so did Tuvia and so did Richard and so did so many others, Azman and Benji. Everyone everyone was sort of like, what can we do to help? Right, some guy needed his everyone of Some guy needed his tzitzit, right? Like just left and they didn't bring their tzitzit. No, and and and other and and other yeah, one guy one guy says to me, I need a watch. I said, why do you need a watch? He goes, cuz I left in the middle of a kapparos, I have my watch on. I mean, it's a very basic thing these guys. Everyone ran out. So suddenly, we found ourselves first taking care of our own Kehila's needs, and then we were taking care of our Kehila's families of those soldiers who left. And then from there it went to, "Hey, this other person in my unit needs X, Y, and Z. Hey, I happen to know of a hundred units that are in tanks that are sitting on the borders that haven't been fed and they've been waiting for further orders." So all of a sudden, we found ourselves calling up pizza stores. "Hey, you're in Sfat. Can you run up to, you know, to to Lebanon basically and and go take pizzas." Then the guy gets there and he's like, "Hey, we we brought pizzas for a hundred people, but there's a thousand soldiers." So we started going tank by tank by tank by tank giving bottles of water and pizza. And I said, "Okay, no problem. Go back and just continue, continue, continue." And so really it's just been this thing where we wake up every single day and Hashem directs us in in what's needed and we're trying to fill the need the best we can. I think everyone in Katamon, I think you mentioned we're in the heart of Katamon. Most of the residents here at this point have my credit card number. Because in the early days there it really wasn't There was no time. There was no time to figure out, "How are you going to fundraise for it? How are you going to do it?" People were zelling me money and and Paybox and Bid and all these other forms of transferring money if they wanted to get involved early on and and we were just doing. And it was really a lot of doing and and gradually we built an apparatus. I mean, this is the the This is the largest startup that I've ever been involved in that I hope we can shut down. I mean, we have over a thousand volunteers. We have an entire inventory system. We've got drivers. We've got more WhatsApp groups than I ever want to be a part of. And we hope that we can shut it all down frankly. So so let me just pick up on that cuz I think one of the most confusing parts for at least, you know, our community and I know the other rabbis feel this way is is you get inundated with requests. I mean, all day long. I know Rabbi Goldberg, Rabbi Brody, you know, my my son's unit, my uncle's, aunt's, cousin's son's unit needs this. And you're just so overwhelmed by the requests. You don't know what's legitimate. You don't know how to vet those things. How did you navigate that? You know, you said you were getting requests all over the place and you just went into motion and you did. How were you able to navigate what's legit, what's, you know, maybe just a it would be a nice thing, but it's not necessary. And what advice and guidance could you as part of this, you know, apparatus give to American Jewry of how to direct their giving? So, I think that's a wonderful question. Um one of the secret powers that we have is a guy named Tovia Albam. Tovia Albam was himself a special forces fighter who had been injured and so was not able to be active as a fighter in this war. Um but I can tell you right now that he has spent more hours of the day uh with us working on behalf of K'lal Yisrael than he would have ever been in the field even if he were fully armed up the way he used to be. And Tovia basically said, you know, look, at the end of the day, the army is going to supply the most critical gear to the most critical soldiers that are going to need it at the most critical time, right? But then you have on top of that something called tziud hekefi, which is peripheral gear. Things that are going to make it more comfortable and palatable for our soldiers to win and to be comfortable and be able to come home. So, so that's where we sort of stepped up and and said, we want to focus not on replacing Tzahal. That's not our job, okay? We're we're civilians. We're not arms dealers. That's not really where we are. But what we did say is, look, in the early days we said, here's what the Tzahal's going to provide, right? Number How long's it going to take for them to deploy it? And so we immediately stepped in and filled a timing need. As I said, everyone was just charging things on my credit card to get it as fast as we can because it's quicker for us to purchase the stuff that was already based in within the borders of this country, go physically pick it up ourselves, bring it don't we only got involved in stuff that we could touch and see and and know that it's real and then actually distribute it to those who need it. Now, soldiers were calling all over the place. I need this, this, this, this and this. I said, "No problem. As soon as you speak to Tuvia and Tuvia will speak to your commander to ensure that we're not duplicating efforts because it's so simple. Everyone felt so bad. You have this one guy, I'm I'm I'm out here and I don't have a flashlight and I don't have a sleeping bag and I don't have a a vest and a helmet and everything else. You there's so much duplication of efforts because if a unit has, let's say even the smallest unit has, let's say 40 guys in it, each one of them is being told by the one who runs logistics for that unit, "Everybody run out and go try to find these things that are missing." That's how it works. So, everyone's calling their connections, their family, everybody else and they're coming back and whoever brings it in is the hero. And so, they're all trying to do this. So, when you have all of that happening at the same time that Zahal is also working to supply what it's need what it what the needs are. It just becomes very it's unfortunate but there you know, pallets upon pallets of undergarments and things like this in what they call a shetach kinus, which is a gathering area and basically it's just stuff that's going to end up getting thrown out or rained on and garbage and in the early days there wasn't much of a choice but to just put stuff out as fast as you can. But but we very very very quickly realized that there was some duplication of efforts was taking place and we said we are going to have a single gatekeeper. When Tuvia says that it's ready to go out, then we know it's ready to go out and it's been vetted and that the need is actually there. So, it started on the thing with the ritual with with tzitzis as well, right? I recently vetted, you know, with you and through Rabbi Atlas directly and this beautiful I don't even want to say what it was cuz I don't want to I don't want to even suggest I'm being critical of anybody. There are people running efforts that say that army bases need that or Zahal needs this religiously but but if you don't have the address to vet it through to know what who Tzehal's really cooperating with and what the real needs are and what the priorities are. So, how did K L A Tzehal end up being at the forefront of the Tzehal project? Right. So, so we realized that there was a need. Um I think we've we've talked about this a couple of times is that in the last wars, there was an average of about 45,000 reservists called up. And here, within the first day, they had over 300,000 called up. And many of them, especially after some of the stories of these heroic stories that you may have heard through on the first day on October 7th, where there was a guy wearing tzit tzit and it was the only way in which he was almost uh killed by by friendly fire, but they saw his tzit tzit and they said, "Wait, wait, wait. He's one of us." Because Hamas was taking our own uniforms and using it against us to try to disguise themselves and then go after us and kill us. And they saw the tzit tzit and it's what saved him. Suddenly, everyone, tattoos, long ponytails, whoever, everybody had to have a pair of tzit tzit. So, now you have over 300,000 people that were called up in reservists. And almost every one of them wants a pair of tzit tzit. Half the Druze community wants tzit tzit. Everybody wants tzit tzit. And so, there was such a great need that Tzehal, in its normal non-wartimes, they actually, believe it or not, like in America, you have the prison system to make license plates. In Israel, the prison system is actually used and they pay people to tie tzit tzit in the prison system. And in some of the um outlining uh Hasidic communities, they they hire them to do it. But they could not manufacture them quickly enough and they needed both money and they really needed a lot of man and subsequently women power in order to tie these tzit tzit. And that's really where we came in is they saw us as, "Holy cow, these guys are being an address for all of these requests that are coming in for gear. They may actually know what they're doing logistically." And when we connected with them, we said, "Listen, there are so many people running around the world raising money for all different things. Let us help you by raising the money, sourcing the materials, tying the tzitzis and the it started with tzitzis then became sidurim, chumashim, all these other things, but let us be that one address so that you don't have to worry about quality control and other issues that are taking place. As a matter of fact, I think I sent you there was an article that came out just yesterday that Tzahal said, "Please, please, please do not donate. We appreciate everything, but do not donate directly to Tzahal without it running through the army because we have no way to ensure the kashrus of the k'nira for tzitzis or for the or for the writing in the t'fillin or mezuzahs or anything else, and they really wanted it to be streamlined, and that's why they came to us, and that's why we said, "We are happy to do this and partner with you and become that sort of one-stop shop." And we've dealt with all of the chanukiah for for Chanukah, whatever was needed. We've dealt with sidurim, chumashim, mobile batei midrash, and and it just expanded, and obviously That was That was one of the most Sorry to cut you off. That was one of the most amazing sights that we saw when we went to the war room, and you were deploying literally a mobile batei midrash. It was filled with s'farim, and it was in this like little carry-on that you could bring into the field. I actually took a picture cuz I found it so inspiring, the notion of "v'lechtecha vaderech," that no matter where Jews are, we bring the s'farim to them. And I thought that was like a great example of using this almost like entrepreneurship and applying it to the war and applying it to our Judaism as well. Yeah, I mean, that's that's how it came up is that, you know, soldiers were saying that that between shifts or wherever they had time, in the very very beginning, first few days, no one had time to think, let alone breathe, learn, eat, or any of those things. But after people got settled in and we realized we're here for the long haul, then it's like, "Okay, now let's figure out how to get some sense of normalcy to the extent that we can, even though these soldiers can't come home." So, whatever we could possibly do to nourish them physically or spiritually, that's really where we stepped in, and they made the request to us of how can we achieve this? How can we start learning about Kabbalah Brusa? And that's when we together with the army said, let's do this. And and when they came to us and they said, again, how do we get this thing funded? I said, it's not even a question. This is like not even a question that we cannot provide, you know, a $600, really ultimately what it was, it was about a 2,000 to 2,500 shekel investment per unit. We We rolled out 200 of them and they were just eaten up like requested all over the country. And to me what what keeps me going is we we've got, you know, when I get to see a full-on minion and and sheerim taking place using these items in Gaza, like that that charges me up because that says that even when they are away from home in the most dark and dangerous and and uncomfortable of places, that we're bringing them a little bit of light. Like that's amazing. If we can be a small part of that, that that inspires me. And that's what is moving the needle and and hopefully will after the war is over. Is there Is there something you could suggest to people that are still saying, well, we need to collect and we want to collect and we have all these collections going on. We just got a phone call just yesterday. Someone needs a helmet, so they they have the helmet in Miami and they want to give it to us so we could bring it next week. But we're told that maybe it'll be confiscated. Maybe these things are going to be taxed. What should we be suggesting for collections and what should we tell people don't do it? It's not going to work. So so here's the here's here's an unfortunate, I don't know if it's unfortunate, but let but let me tell you what my experience was. In the first 2 weeks of the war, while we were heads down running straight to ensure that everyone had what they needed, um many of the larger professional fundraising organizations were out filling the coffers, which is a smart thing, I guess that's what they needed to do. And and and and I'm so inspired by the fact that North American jewelry raised I think a billion dollars in the first month. That that is a staggering amount of support and I'm so proud to be among the that nation that could that can mobilize support like that. Um, unfortunately, some of that will not reach some of the people that's let's say that that for instance that we went to go see or some of the soldiers that that that do need some of this stuff. And and but but something else I think you started with a helmet, right? Someone said, "I want to bring a helmet." There are issues pertaining to need. There's issues pertaining to want, so wants versus needs. And then there's also issues pertaining to safety. There is an entire and and I've had to become an subject matter expert in what is called IDF Tecken, which is the standards upon which, you know, let's say a police officer in Chicago that wears a bulletproof vest for, let's say, a 9 mm or or some some form of ammunition uh that is very low level is not necessarily going to protect a soldier against shrapnel from an RPG or from or from missile attacks. And and so what happens is, whether it's a helmet or a vest, number one is people that are very good intention that want to go and give those directly to the soldiers, they don't realize that they might actually be risking their lives and it's so it really pains me to see that because everybody means well and when someone says vest, they assume vest means the same thing to everyone, but it really doesn't. And same with helmet. And same actually with tactical uniforms. That's that's been one that everyone's been talking about recently, these tactical uniforms. Well, guess what? The tactical uniforms, if someone goes and gets that for people that sit inside of a tank and if it is not flammable like if it's not fireproof, then it is actually an accelerant and can end up causing major damage to the people that are in there. No one knows that. I don't know if you know this cuz I didn't know this that you can't wear dry-fit. So the So the soldiers that are in the tanks cannot wear dry-fit tzitzis because it is flammable. And and if you don't know some of these things and you're you're running and and and good intention and want to just provide provide provide, then then it becomes not only duplicitous, but it also becomes wasteful and it could even become dangerous. So I think that it's very very important. I I I would tell all of your viewers that before you go and buy anything that is going to Tzahal, number one is why don't you make sure that you know verifiably that it's needed right now because what was needed week one, two, three, four of the war, this is changing constantly. Like for instance, Tuvia, who I said is our gatekeeper on the actual tactical gear side of it, he maintains a list that is updated at least every two weeks based on what we're hearing from the people in the field. As the season changes, so does the temperature. As the temperature changes, so do the needs in terms of the type of gear that we need. So I can tell you that for instance, rain suits has been something that we wanted to provide. So a lot of people ran out in America, let's say, "We're going to go provide rain suits." Here's a problem. The rain suits that they were sending had reflectors right here. And those reflectors, as as wonderful as it is to go and donate those, that's going to just endanger our soldiers and the IDF won't let them wear them in combat. So it'll be fine for someone on a base somewhere, but so we went and sourced in in Holland, we ended up sourcing almost 20,000 of these rain suits and distributed them that didn't have reflector on them. It's such an important point Alex you're making because, you know, the reality is as Rabbi Brody was alluding to in Moscow, it's also there's so many needs, there's so many requests and it's so critically important to have a partner on the other side that you trust, that you have an agent, that you know that whatever is being given is getting right into the hands of those who need it and will be used in the way that it's intended. And all these people with the best of intentions, of the billions of dollars a billion dollars that was given, we hope that a billion dollars went to the destination it was intended. And that's part of why we're so grateful to have you in Tovia and the whole Eretz Chemdah apparatus and Rav Biton who is just a privilege to know and is such an inspiration. We're so grateful to have that partnership. So if people who are listening, watching, if they want to financially get involved, they can't come to Israel right now, but they want to help. And and each of our visits, you know, you showed up with 10 12 ceramic vests that met IDF approval and were vetted and ready to go and enabled us when we were meeting soldiers and and we got an incredible picture. One of the soldiers we happened to meet we happened to meet in a gas station who who sent us a picture on Hanukkah wearing that vest with the menorah saying happy Hanukkah and thank you and the the confidence it gives his family to have that protection. That was all thanks to you. So if people want to uh send money to enable more of your work or when they're going to be in Israel anytime over the next we're trying to run missions and groups regularly. Rabbi Brody is going back or at Moskowitz and I know we'll be there in January issue a week. We're going to try to create a women's we're trying to create just a lot a lot of missions. And people say, "Well, when I land, where do I go? What do I do?" And that's not all on you. Of course, there are a lot of addresses. But how how can people be in touch with Eretz Chemdah to give and to learn more about how they can show up and volunteer? So first of all, we have our website of our shul keh.org.il. Um but also in terms of uh KEH gives, which is really our our it's really an organization that sprung out of necessity. And thank God we've uh been able to raise over a million and a half dollars and and really distribute a very very critical amount of Tashmishei Kedusha gear. We've done chizuk events together with you. Last week actually on Hanukkah, I'll tell you, we rented out Binyanei HaUma for over 5,000 uh evacuee and miluim families for an entire fun day of camp and and uh for fun and and chizuk and and there was a special event at night for women and stuff for children. And I actually wasn't even able to personally be there myself cuz I had a conflict, but it was something that I'm just so proud to have been involved in that we're not just you know, together we did for let's say the Anglo English speaking community. Yet, we also did something massive for for the Mifunim and and the Miluim families as well. And and even on the Hazbara side as you know, when we went down to to take some very influential people down to Be'eri and to other places in the south in order to galvanize support from overseas. It's it's it's a it's really those four avenues of tiyud and Judaica and the hizuk and the Hazbara. It's this four-pronged approach that just built upon itself all from shamayim that that's where to go. Yeah, well, that's I think that's the most important thing to really point out is whether we're we're the smart ones in the room or or vice versa, you know, there are a lot of people that are making a lot of money off this war effort. We don't feel that that this is what is our shlichus here. We believe that that we're just going to do what we need to do, do the best that we can to provide the most honest level of support, and just let Hashem take care of the rest. And that's that's really what it is. Every dollar that comes in, we try to treat it like Amazon Prime and and try to get it out the door as soon Well, there is no there really is no overhead. There might be overhead to buy a pie of pizza for 100 volunteers who are sitting tight till 11:00 at night. But beyond that, there there is no overhead. None of us on the vaad are being paid. We're just doing what we can do. Absolutely incredible. Well, we're we're so grateful for the partnership and your work and Hashem should continue give you strength and the capacity to make this difference together with the other beloved members of Kehilat Eretz Hemdah. And we look forward to not only spending Shabbos, but spending a lifetime together in Yerushalayim, Ir Hakodesh. So I appreciate it. If I can if I can if I can just say one thing, the last thing to finish off is again, I want everyone who is watching here to feel that Kehilat Eretz Yisrael is your home in Israel, your spiritual home in Israel, um because we welcome you all. And I think that uh when you guys come, you'll be able to see it, too. And obviously, the people in your community who are already members obviously had a reason to connect us in the first place. So, we look forward to seeing everyone at Kehilat Eretz Yisrael in Jerusalem. Amen. Thank you so much. Thank you. Menachem, welcome behind the Bima. Thank you Thank you for letting us go behind the Bima with you. We've known you for a long time, long before October 7th and the extraordinary work you're doing now. Menachem Traxler Menachem Traxler Pantry Packers, if you've ever been to Jerusalem, volunteered, you never thought that you would be funneling, you know, corn and wheat and spices and big bags into little bags and sealing and everything's so professional, so well done, such an amazing ability to let your family feel that they're volunteering stickers and your name and helping underprivileged. All that changed radically on October 7th, at least from my perspective. And since then, we've come to know you and you've enabled us to help in beautiful ways. So, thank you for joining us, letting us go behind the Bima, and sharing a little bit of that with us. My zchus. It's um I'm here to serve. It's my passion, and you've enabled me with your community to do so much more. So, I'm really grateful for you guys. So, tell tell us how October 7th changed and pivoted what you were doing or or at least made it expand and scale up in such a bigger way. How many meals are you making these days? How many people are you feeding? How many toys and displaced families are you providing for? Beyond Pantry Packers, what Tell us about what you're doing now. So, it's um there's a few aspects. Um I like to call it the miracle of the cards. Uh we'll get to that shortly, but um we've been here for quite a bit of time. Pantry Packers is a part of Kolel Chabad established by the first Kolel Chabad Rebbe in 1788. The Alter Rebbe sent Hasidim to Israel. They didn't have a way to support themselves, and so he set up a fund to support them. It's been going on since. We have documents of donors since then, and documented who received help. What year? Um 1788. Wow. Um it's 236. I don't know, it's such a long time. I can't keep track. I think 236 years. Wow. But um obviously with the establishment of the state of Israel, the need changed drastically. And um literally everybody and anybody in Eretz Israel is receiving assistance. All across. Um makes no difference to uh percentage-wise 5% maybe are Hasidim. Maybe. Mhm. Um but October 7th interestingly not much has changed, and I'll explain. We've been having about 100,000 Hatzalah food cards in distribution at any given time. So when the need came, and we had to roll out more cards we were the platform was there, was available. We had to just speak to our welfare representatives in each city, which we're in contact with all the time, and who needs what? So there were a few tweaks, but it wasn't like creating an infrastructure to how we're going to find the families, how are we going to help them? It was there. And um that's the miracle number one. Uh and then food. A lot of people had to run away, leave. They needed food right away. So then again, we've been feeding Am Yisrael for centuries, literally. 23 soup kitchens, most of you have seen during uh Friday night, you turn around Leil Shabbat, you see the Colel Chabad soup kitchen opposite the Kotel. So that's our flagship location, but it's one of 23. Along with that is Meals on Wheels. About 2,000 elderly receive meals every single day throughout the country. So, to call the guy and say "Tomorrow we're going to do 5,000." Okay, it was a challenge. A lot of his employees weren't available. But the infrastructure was there and within a week we were giving out 5,000 additional meals every single day. Wow. So, um those are the two core changes. Uh you mentioned toys. So, a big project that we have actually to help widows and orphans throughout the year and including with that is giving them toys. So, we had the suppliers there. When I called Moshi, he said, "Oh my goodness, you have no idea how much you're helping me." I'm like, "Seriously? You're helping me. Can I have the toys in 3 days?" "Whatever you need. No one's ordering anything." Mhm. And so, you know, it's like Win-win. People were like asking me, "What could we send?" I was like, "Honestly, I know you're not going to like to hear it, but if you send money, I can order toys from a local store, a local distributor. They need the parnassa." Um so, and that comes up a lot. A lot of people want to send stuff, send stuff. I know you brought, I think it was 100 duffel bags. 102. Um 102? You still have the tags? Yeah, still have the tags. Yeah, right here. I got them right here. There's the tags. Yeah. Yeah, so I'm I'm constantly Wow. You got a frame those. Yep. So, uh but I'm always telling people it's nice to send stuff and I would love a Leatherman, but we need to support the locals um throughout the country. Even in your shul, I'm you know, relatively the the streets are sort of regular, but none of the tourists are there. So, anybody that's tourist reliant, they're not making money, they're not supporting themselves. They're having to claim um some sort of disability or lost income and it's it's really any kind of money you send to Israel for things to be bought here is a huge help. And yes, it is more expensive here. But, you know, I'm Israel, that's the way it is. Yeah. Um So, I mentioned the cards. Yeah, no. Yeah, cuz I was going to say when we were in Israel, um we saw you in our visit to Be'eri. And uh at first, I don't think any of us kind of realized what you were doing there, but can you explain why you were there with us that day in Be'eri, and why that's so special and significant for you? Okay. So, Be'eri, we've had a had a relationship with them for 12 years. Um we have what's called the the Ashal card. It's a platform we've developed over the past 12 years, and it keeps on getting developed. Um if you might say like food stamps, it's a credit card issued by like um Isracard, like the the MasterCard of Israel, and they they actually print the cards, but we have a platform and agreements with almost every single supermarket in Israel. All the major chains in every city has at least two stores that accept the cards, give a discount on the cards to enable us to make sure that whoever needs a food card could get food in their local town. So, it took a while till we built up to this network. It's about 4 years now, I think, that we have every city on board. Um and the cards are actually printed in Kibbutz Be'eri. Wow. Um so, this is like the the Ashal card is our core card, but we have the national food security program that we do with the with Israel. 30,000 families throughout 236 cities, and they get 500 shekel worth of food a month. 150 shekel fruits and vegetables, which we actually deliver, despite the cost and the logistic nightmare, because it's one of the things that you know the needy will not buy. You know they get 500 check will they buy food of course that's all they could buy but fruits and vegetables are relatively more expensive here than other items. So we felt that we must continue delivering it so they have the nutrition that they need. Um so with these in distribution the government has reached out to us multiple times during COVID many many rounds of cards. They paid for it of course but this was a platform available to them to make sure the money goes to food instead of just depositing money in citizens accounts they wanted to make sure it goes to food. Um the next thing on the list was uh baby food cards. I don't know if you can see this. So 3 and 1/2 thousand families mothers get formula for their babies again using the same platform every month. Um and then we saw that mean uh the Ministry of Interior wanted to help families in addition. And again they reached out to us to use our platform. And that's where the first challenge came up on October 7th. There were 100,000 cards that were printed. But each card needs its you're in the factory you saw all those machines. So the printing is one part of it but you actually have to put the magnetic information and the codes and all that stuff. And October 7th and like what are we going to do? We had a big challenge. Of course the area Amishav had a big challenge and so you heard in our story and they were contemplating what do they do? He was two people of the board against six. The six said no like we're entitled to sit shiva we're entitled to bury uh family members and like what does it mean to open the cards? Like we're not opening the print shop. This was before the discussion of the cards. This is within their own And um he told me that they decided that it's not about us. Number one, the area is the the Boca Raton of America, I don't know, or the Hamptons of New York. It's It's a very prestigious kibbutz, and if they're not going to get themselves back together, what about everybody else? You know, they they looked at themselves as a leader. And even more so, what does Army Strong need? No credit cards in Israel. That's a little problem. Um all the the food cards, like the for the welfare, like what we're giving out. That's a big challenge, and then checks. So, the first thing they decided is let's get the credit card system open. And so, for Amex, Visa, all those cards, and our food cards. So, the following Sunday, he brought in four staff members to start coding the cards. And then they checked following Sunday, that was the Sunday right after October 7th? Not the next day, a full week later. A week later, yeah. Yeah. That was so Um actually, President Herzog went to help them reopen. Like, you a few days before, like it was it was a it's a big deal, you know, and and you saw the miracle. It doesn't make any sense. Six bullets. So, they have a crying TV, but like the rest of the place was utterly destroyed. You know, what can you explain You can't explain it. There's no words. Um Just to Just to interrupt you one second. What Menachem is describing, because the the three of us, you know, the four of us together, but the three of us had a chance to to walk Be'eri. They decimated the kibbutz. Houses burned to the ground, destruction, the percentage of the kibbutz who were murdered, taken hostage. And yet this magnificent state-of-the-art printing press, the admiration of Israel and others outside of Israel, is left standing, barely touched, which is evidence that these evil terrorists were not trying to hurt the wallet of the Jewish people, the economy of the Jewish people. They weren't trying to hurt our money or our assets. They just wanted people. They wanted to kill people. And that's that's evidence on this kibbutz, where the financial infrastructure is standing strong, um almost untouched, and the homes and the people, there's just destruction everywhere. Right. So, um So, the the first So, we So, we got those cards the next week, and we started rolling that out. Um but even before then, we've had It's a sort of a generic card we have that we use for private labels for other organizations that want to give for Yom Tov to Kehilla, or a rov wants to give food cards or help their community. So, we private label, put a sticker, they use our cards, we load it with every amount of money they want. We help us We help facilitate for them. So, the first right away, I think Friday, that first Friday, within a week, um they said, "We're starting a new program called Otsar Ha'aretz Ha'aretz Ha'aretz to give to 3,440 families from the uh kibbutzim that were destroyed, and like Ofakim, Netivot, that got direct hits, um 5,000 shekel each. Um and so, now or after, you're wondering what I was doing there. So, we were visiting for another couple hours after, and we're just talking and schmoozing, and he was like the first time in his life he received anything from anybody. And they're very So, they're very, you know, they're They're okay financially, uh from a financial sense, not okay Everything else is gone. But, um this is the first time he received a card like this the week later with 5,000 shekel. And he's like, "For him, he's been printing these for 12 years, 15 years, plastic." Hm. All of a sudden, there's it's for him. Hm. And it was it was very pow- very powerful moment for me, of course, out of that conversation. Um the next thing is for next card is for um families with someone that's enlisted that are part of the welfare system. So, they're getting 2,000 shekel a month on this card. And most recent, we just started rolling this up now. This is with the Jewish Federation North America and a few other partners to give families in the south that an extra boost. They're also not part of the monthly food distribution. So, So, I think that's really important for our listeners because, you know, obviously Pantry Packers is a a lot of people know that a lot of people have come on, you know, for Simchas or for vacations, but they're not they don't realize all of the background that you're not just Pantry Packers. That's like a front for an entire operation of support all around the country. It's important for people to realize that when they contribute, it's not just as Rabbi Goldberg said, you know, packing the lentils or the beans or the spices, but it's really this whole army of people that are supporting in a welfare sense around the country. Right. Um it's exact it's exactly that. It's It's actually been a way to expose and teach, let people know. It's um it's so big, but it's um it's sometimes hard to explain. Uh I don't think one podcast would cover all of it. But uh but it's huge and it's actually the story of Am Yisrael. Um it's the achdus of Am Yisrael. Because the people we help are from every single background all across the spectrum in Israel, and the people that support us are the exact same from all over the world, everybody and anybody. And that coming together is just the epic uh coilil you might say of Klal Yisrael, just to be inclusive of everybody from every single side, the giving, the receiving. And there's no better way of achdus in the world um than that. So, it's a it's a huge zchus for me and a brocha for me, for my family, and um for everybody that I meet and encounter. So, I I That's That's the message that I love to share. So, uh Is there Are an army of volunteers that you work with throughout the country to make to make this all happen or they employees? Actually not. No. But there's over 700 employees. 700, wow. How did How did you get into this? Obviously you're a Chabad, right? We could But how did you, you know, obviously you're speaking with such authority about gift cards and about printing presses and about chips and about scanning numbers? How did you get into this? How How is it evolved? Where did you grow up? Where are you from? What's a little bit of your background? I was born in Austin, Texas. Um grew up in Houston. I still remember in Austin going with my father to milk cows for Um I I have a 10-gallon here inside my hat. Um I came to Israel a week before 9/11 as a bocher shliach to Tzfat. And I've been in Israel ever since. I don't think I ever thought that Eretz Yisrael would be my shlichus at all. I don't think I ever But um August 2012, uh it came up for me to leave Yerushalayim and create an opportunity for um people to volunteer and get exposed to Colel Chabad. And so I created PantryPackers and uh I guess the rest is history. It's extraordinary what you're doing. The impact these numbers are staggering. You know, we have local Tomchei Shabbos and we have Chesed and we've launched a new program, Florida Chesed Network and and we have a lot of dreams and ambition, but your numbers of the impact it's it's absolutely staggering. Somebody who wants to help support enable you to I know in in my case, you know, you want to talk about accountability, the first time that we were there after October 7th, um you helped us distribute directly money, toys and the like, meals. Rabbi Brody went to that fridge, was carrying all these meals under his arm. But but we also left you some money and you sent me a detailed accounting of who got it, what they got, why they were why they needed it, and then you sent videos of people saying thank you for each of the things they got. You know, again, in this world where people are sending but not knowing it's getting to the right place. So, how can people how can how can you help people get their money to the right place? Where should they send it? How can they find out more? Um so like you said, it it's a proud it's a proud part of what we do. There's not a single person that we helped that isn't documented. It just it doesn't exist. It's not part of our policy. And it goes back to the handwritten ledgers from 1788 till today. Now we're on Salesforce, so it's a lot easier. Um but donation online, if you have some specific project you want to give to like you gave me some very specific guidelines, and so that's exactly the way it was filled. But a $32 donation is matched with a government program, like you mentioned in the beginning, the 30,000 families. So, the government gives 70%. So, $32 gives a family $500 check every month. So, that's another another very very core principle that we have is matching or leverage. We don't we will not go into a project unless there's another significant anchor partner to the project. Um not just financially, but to ensure that it it succeeds. So, it it'll be the a local municipality or like Leket, for example, we have a bunch of joint projects with them. Um you have to to make it the biggest impact, to make sure that the tzedakah dollar is used to the maximum. Um you have to have partners. And every single thing that we do is with partners. What's the website? Uh pantrypackers.org, colelkoved.org. Um if you come, of course, to our tzedakah, come volunteer. Um you guys could vouch for it. It's a lot of fun. It's sort of my personal passion. Um the tzedakah is a family. The entire family has to be involved with giving to Dhaka and that's exactly the way I set up pantry Packers. Wow. Um to make sure the whole family's together, but that's what we do. We empower to Dhaka. We give to Dhaka and we let people become partners with us for the mix up and a dollar has is the exact same mix up actually as a a thousand dollar check. Of course a thousand dollar check helps us feed a lot more people, but it's the same mix up. And it's important to give regularly all the time. Incredible. Menachem, thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for going behind the beamer and thank you for all that you're doing to feed and take care of cloud Israel. When when's your next visit? Um Rabbi Brody, when are you going? I'm hopefully coming on the 26th. So I'll be there on Tuesday. And a quick three-day trip. Can't wait to get back. Rabbi Brody is going again next week? And Menachem is going in January. Yeah. Okay. Fantastic. Yeah. It's amazing. It's good. See you soon. Thank you. See you soon. That's right. Thank you for watching Behind the Beamer. Catch us next time for another peek behind the Beamer.