VOLUNTEER! Importance of chessed told to seminary girls

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A capacity crowd of high school and seminary girls and representatives of 13 community organizations filled Achiezer’s Central Avenue office in Lawrence to explore chesed as the raison d’être of every Jew.

Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, Achiezer’s founder, cited a chilling Gemara of a Tzaddik who climbed into his wagon to retrieve a piece of bread for a poor person, only to find that the hapless man had expired in the brief time that it took to find the bread. Rav Chaim Shmulevitz explains that it is not enough for a Jew to be happy to help another when asked — a Jew must always be prepared with a piece of bread in his back pocket, just in case!

Achiezer, Bikur Cholim, I-Shine, JCCRP, JEP, Kulanu, Levi Yitzchak Library, Madraigos, Ohel, The Friendship Circle, and Tova representatives outlined their purposes and available volunteer opportunities.

The evening also offered an opportunity to apprise the girls of options available to them for their own self-growth. Machon Basya Rochel and Sh’eefa, two educational programs for post-high school and seminary girls, offered synopses of their organizations. Sara Glas, unveiled Achiezer’s upcoming financial management seminars geared specifically towards this population and was received well by the crowd and other organizations. Faige Fried presented The Network, the online forum that she founded, that enables single girls to find and post Shiurim, textbook sales, open internships, rides to weddings, and just about anything else a single girl might want to know.

Attendees signed up for volunteer opportunities, sampled sushi and socialized.

Faige Fried summed up the evening’s purpose: “This time in our lives can be ‘the best of times’ or ‘the worst of times’ — and it’s up to us to decide which one it will be.”

Achiezer expressed special gratitude to Esther Novak for coordinating this event.

For more information, email enovak@achiezer.org for a copy of the event handout, which includes synopses and contact information.