Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein addresses the Colel Chabad Dinner - 2018

good evening everyone I must tell you year after year I come here from Jerusalem special because this organization is special we and the currently d-dude as were called in Israel largest philanthropy in Israel we have hundreds and hundreds of partners but there is no partner that we are proud to be partnering with as Colo Habad and Rabbi Shalom Dickman and his family so yes shikou ofte colo about and to rabbi dylan my friends when I walked in here and I thought back 10 15 years ago when I was here first and since that time we have given tens of millions of dollars to Colo Habad and I walked in and I saw the crowd growing year after year and I see a seeding of different kinds sitting together with one another I see Orthodox conservative reformed Christians sitting together and as trivial as it may seem the words of the psalmist he named at of luminaries Sheva the kingdom Yahud there is something special going on here tonight it's more than just helping feed the hungry which is itself probably the most important cause I know each of us has numerous causes that were involved in but feeding the hungry is the most basic Mitzvah that we can all do do you know an elderly Jew in Israel today who lives below the poverty line and one out of every four is in that category gets 2,600 shekel a month from the government even the Department of welfare and beat hua Luo Li says that only provides 40% of the basic needs of an elderly and so everyday elderly Jews need to decide between food medicine heating fuel which now just went up 7% additional this week cuts in the welfare department and it's groups like Colo Kaba that step in the gap my friends I must be very frank at this age I can afford to do so it's a Shanda it's a Shanda that there are elderly Holocaust survivors elderly Jews children who have to take just a piece of bread with cheese in between to their lunch and be embarrassed by their other friends that they don't have money and that's their only meal of the day this is Israel but it's also the reality and so I want to say that every time I come here I feel like mashiach is coming closer to see you all here today with one common cause i know many of you are guests guests of I know mr. Cummings and the various others who purchased tables there'd be no greater way to honor your host than for you to make a donation in their honor to help the needy in Israel so thank you for this honor again I'm sure you'll get tired of me eventually but until then I will be here biz recession telling the telling the stories and thanking you for all that you are doing for the children and the elderly in Israel thank you god bless you I have no more room on my wall shallow I hope you all come to visit world-changing visionary protector of the poor war presenter trouble Eckstein a visionary in pioneer is a beacon of light for the nation's the protector of the poor of Israel call us about international awards dinner thank you very very much my traditional velocity of these valleys yummy my mom Alaska [Applause]