Mfarnes - Brochure : simplebooklet.com

Two long-lost friends meetReb Yidel Blumenberg of Boro Park traveled to Eretz Yisroel to spend Lag Ba’Omer at the kever of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. While walking in the streets of Yerushalayim, he saw a familiar face — Mordechai Weiss*, a chavrusah from his Eretz Yisroel yeshiva days. Reb Yidel approached his friend and happily began reminiscing about their days in yeshiva. As their conversation turned to current times, Mordechai’s face paled and his smile was replaced with pain and hopelessness. Reb Yidel was shocked to see his usually upbeat friend in such anguish. “Baruch Hashem, I have a home ﬁlled with children. However, it is devoid of food. My children go to sleep hungry,” he conﬁded. Clearly, the suffering that his family was undergoing was getting to him.An apple for dinner“Yesterday's dinner was an apple,” Mordechai said, with tears in his eyes. “Not one apple per person. We shared one apple between all the family members. We had to cut it into multiple slices so that everyone got a piece.” His voice started to crack. Reb Yidel had no further questions. “Let’s go to the grocery,” he said.The rst act of chesed by M’farnesAfter dragging Mordechai to the store, Reb Yidel urged him to ﬁll up a shopping cart. “Hurry, your family must eat!” Too weak to protest, he accepted the offer and rushed to ﬁll the cart with groceries, in abundance. That day his children had their ﬁrst nourishing meal in years. Unbeknownst to both, this would be the ﬁrst act of chesed in the storied successes of M’farnes.The dicult situation of Israeli JewsDuring the next few days, the two friends spoke again, and Reb Yidel wanted to know, how had Mordechai allowed his situation to deteriorate to this point? “You told me that you have a job. How can it be that with a steady income you have no money even for groceries?”Exasperation showing on his face, Mordechai answered, “You know as well as I do that wages here are not like in America. I make about thirty shekel an hour, which is between seven to nine dollars. Even a delivery worker makes more in the United States. You’d think that with such a disparity in income, most things would be much cheaper here, but the fact is that the food here costs the same if not more than in America. On top of that, here we pay a 17 percent tax on our food. Most foods in America are not taxed, and even those that are top out at 8 percent. Because of that our living standards are much lower than those of our American brethren. Bread with tahini is a typical meal here. Most families can’t even dream about having a ﬂeishig meal during the week. The e unlikely origin story behind M’farnes“Not one apple per person. We shared one apple between all the family members. We had to cut it into multiple slices so that everyone got a piece.”*Name changed to protect privacy.2

Page 3

smallest piece of meat is a luxury even on Shabbos.”Reb Yidel was stunned to hear this. “You want me to believe that there are families that go an entire week without a piece of meat?”Mordechai nodded emphatically “Just last week a friend told me that he unplugs his fridge during the week in order to save on electricity. It's not like there is anything in there that can spoil. After I spend the few meager shekel I earn on rent and other expenses, I’m left with barely anything for food, and so i go hungry.”Still shocked by what he was hearing, Reb Yidel kept asking questions. “What about all the tzedakah organizations? Don’t they help?”Mordechai smiled sadly and said, “Do you really think that there are enough organizations to help all the needy Jews in Eretz Yisroel? Unfortunately, many more are needed.”“I get that your salary is insufﬁcient. But what about government assistance?”“The money the government gives is a pittance. It does not even cover ten percent of my expenses. Far from helping with my grocery bills. Unlike in America where on top of your tax return you can get all sorts of beneﬁts, here they barely give anything. What the government does provide is almost a joke, like they are mocking us for being needy.”Upon hearing this, Reb Yidel exclaimed, “From now on, your children won’t go to sleep hungry. I will give you a set amount every week so you can provide for your family without stress.”The founding of M’farnesThis arrangement went on for a while. And then Reb Yidel heard about another needy Jew, and then another somewhere else, and soon he had a list of respectable families who fell into poverty through similar circumstances. These were responsible parents whose wages were not sufﬁcient to provide for their families, and they had to watch their children go to sleep without eating, complaining of hunger pangs. At the behest of Gedolei Yisroel, Reb Yidel assembled a group of askanim and founded M’farnes. This charity distributes tens of thousands of dollars worth of grocery gift cards to needy families in Eretz Yisroel, every single week. Every step this noble organization takes is overseen by gedolei Yisroel. It is they who decided that M’farnes should distribute its tzedakah through food stamp-like cards that are automatically reﬁlled every week. The amount received is based on a formula that considers the family size as well as need. Cards allow the families to receive assistance in a more digniﬁed manner than food deliveries.e unlikely origin story behind M’farnes"He unplugs his fridge during the week in order to save on electricity. It's not like there is anything in there that can spoil." 3

Page 4

Distributing the food cards is of utmost importance, and the bulk of M'farnes’s budget is devoted to the cost of this project. It’s all about sustaining hungry families in times of desperate need.But this huge undertaking is just one part of the M’farnes mission.The organization doesn’t stop with knowing that these families have sufﬁcient food. While their most pressing issue is temporarily taken care of, the situation in a home that needs help with the basics is generally a dire one.M’farnes’s long-term goal for each family is to help them become ﬁnancially independent. Families deserve to live without the constant stress of trying to make ends meet while still being unable to cover their budget.This process begins as soon as a case of a needy family reaches M’farnes’s desk.First, our dedicated volunteers sit down, analyze the family’s entire budget, and review all income and expenses. Sadly, by the time a family comes to the point where they lack for food, they are already burdened by numerous debts, living in a vicious cycle of borrowing to repay just so they can continue to stay aﬂoat. Once our team has gained a comprehensive understanding of a family's situation, we work to ﬁnd the head of the household a well-paying job. This is a vital step in ensuring the possibility of attaining ﬁnancial security and independence. Therefore, ﬁnding a stable job is our priority, and we spare no effort in ﬁnding a suitable position for the client. Amazingly, this quest often takes us to Europe or even the United States, where we pair the people in Eretz Yisroel who have certain skills or experience in speciﬁc industries with businesses that can use those talents for remote work. In most cases, wages paid overseas are much higher than the going rate for similar work in Israel. The agony of struggling with numerous loans is indescribable. The pressure can weigh heavily on a person and distract them from their daily responsibilities. M’farnes steps in, and procures a single large loan to cover all of the debts. Our staff arranges for easy terms on the payments and ensures that all debts are paid off immediately. With all debt consolidated into a single, affordable monthly payment, the loan can be paid off gradually without stress.In an ideal world, a sound budget would sufﬁce to ensure ﬁnancial stability. For some families, the ﬁrst part of the process is sufﬁcient. Once their debts are put on a payment plan, their budget is balanced, and they’re set up with a better income, they do not require any further aid and are able to go on without any further assistance. The unfortunate reality in Israel is that in many cases, despite the best efforts and steady wages, food affordability still poses a major challenge. Nobody, especially children, should ever go hungry. And so, even after balancing the budget and increasing the income, M'farnes keeps the weight of grocery shopping off the family’s stretched budget, and still maintains their support until the family is ﬁnancially secure and independent.Calls to M’farnes are sadly too often drowned out by tears. But on some occasions, they are happy tears. Families that originally depended on the M’farnes grocery cards to survive are so grateful to share that though it took a while, the efforts invested in helping them become independent have borne fruit. “We manage on our own! Please stop the automatic reﬁlls as we can afford paying our own orders at this point!” are some of the joyous messages we get.These calls lift our spirits and empower us to continue on our holy mission.In short: M'farnes does not only save families from going hungry. M’farnes is the rock for families who are lost and hopeless, drowning in a storm of desperation. We feed them, give them back their dignity, and help provide them with a way out of their predicament so they can be self-sufﬁcient.Not every one of us can shoulder all of the above responsibilities, but all of us can have a part.Don’t hesitate! Grab the exclusive zechus! Join today to partner with this holy organization!M'farnes’s goal is not only giving food…FINANCIAL STABILITYwith families on their own two feet"In short: M'farnes does not only save families from going hungry. M’farnes is the rock for families who are lost and hopeless, drowning in a storm of desperation."4

Page 5

M’farnes was founded with the goal of helping needy families in Eretz Yisroel whose income is not sufﬁcient to provide for their needs. M’farnes doesn’t send food, and doesn’t give vouchers or cards limited to essentials such as bread, milk, and eggs, or basic Shabbos fare. M’farnes sends a card which is preloaded with enough money to cover each family’s entire weekly food costs, and ensures that no family goes hungry even one week of the year.How does it work?M’farnes sends each family a food stamp-like card which can be swiped in groceries across Eretz Yisroel. Using these cards, every family can buy however much food they need every week. The volunteer staff at M’farnes ensure that each card gets reﬁlled every week, through funds that are raised by members and generous donors. Every single day, hundreds of souls eat three nourishing meals with food bought with the M’farnes cards. And of course, there is enough for plentiful Shabbos meals.Donors and partnersThankfully, many kindhearted and generous Jews have become full weekly sponsors and have each taken a family under their wing. The average amount to support a family is approximately $350 a week. Some donors pledge a weekly amount towards partial coverage. But these donations are not sufﬁcient to cover M’farnes’ weekly budget. To cover the deﬁcit, M’farnes volunteers knock on doors, go to local shuls, and appeal to any receptive ear to open their heart and help these impoverished families. Every effort is taken, no stone left unturned, to ensure that no card will be left unﬁlled.Yom tov cardsThere are numerous families who can make ends meet during the year, but cannot cover all the extra expenses that Yomim Tovim bring, and they collapse under all the extra stress. They receive a special card for Pesach, Yomim Noraim, and Sukkos, which allows them to shop for all their Yom Tov needs with dignity.Waiting listThough M’farnes is able to help hundreds of Jewish families, there are many more knocking at our door who also are in desperate need of assistance. Because of the massive need, we had to create a waiting list. As long as we can’t be sure that we have the money, we cannot pledge to support additional families. Unfortunately, we are these families’ best hope of ﬁnally being able to feed their children decent meals. The more money we raise, the more people we will be able to help.Coming o our listWhile we keep adding impoverished families to our list, we are happy to announce that we are also able to remove a number of names from our list. Some of the families we’ve assisted have told us that their ﬁnancial situation has improved to the point that they can now afford their own groceries. Often this improvement is due to M’farnes’ guidance program, which helps people balance their budgets, ﬁnd better paying jobs, and become ﬁnancially independent. (See below for more information.)A guaranteed segulahHashem promises that if you make His people happy, He will make you happy. What greater happiness is there than parents seeing their children well fed and happy? People who make these parents happy can ask the Ribbono Shel Olam for anything, whether that be parnassah, refuah sheleima, or any other yeshua; Hashem surely will answer their prayers and make them happy. A number of M’farnes members and partners have told us that they have seen supernatural hatzlacha in their lives ever since joining M’farnes.Just $350 a weekYou can also have a part in saving Jewish homes from going under, by pledging to become a partner and sponsor a family for just $350 every week. When you do your weekly shopping and put an extra treat in your shopping cart, think about those unfortunate members of the klal whose fridge is literally empty, and consider sponsoring a Shabbos order for them. The zechus of saving a Jewish family is immeasurable and protects you at every step. What isM’farnes?The holy work of M’farnes, and how they help families become financially independent5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

ןאמרעדיב ןמחנבולעלמק"פל ב"פשת תנש טבש 'י ולכא יפל שיא ונממ וטקל רדסל ד םויל רוא דסב םיפלאל דסח השוע גלפומה רקיה ךרבאה רובע ץילמהל ולא תורושב אב יננה ת"שכ ר"רהומ אוה אלה השודקה ונצראב לכ רסוחבו ינועב םיכודמה לארשי ינב וניחא ךילשהו ןויצ יבשוי וניחא למעב האר רשא א"טילש גרעבנעמולב יולה ףסוי הדוהי 'ר תוכורב תוחפשמל רוזעל יקדצט לכ תושעל תובשי אל הלילו םמוי טושפ דגנמ ושפנ םיצוחנה תוכרטצהב םנובער טיקשהל ידכ םהל ןיא שממ רשא יבצה ץרא יבשות םע העובק הסנרפב החפשמה דימעהל תובר תולועפו םישעמ דועו ןוזמו םחל שממ.המילש הלועפ רכש ליהבמו ארונ ןפואב אוה ןאכ השענש דסחו הקדצה בוציקב עובשב עובש ידימו יפלא לש תואצוה והזש ןבומכו ,ותחפשמ לכו אוה וביטיהלו ותויחהל לד לא ליכשהל ןתמ שממ אוה רשא וללה תובגשנ תולועפב ףתתשהל הכוזה ירשא ,הנשל תובבר ינפל הראופמ החמש ןיא רשא םיללמואה םיינעה קוזיחו המחו ףא הפכמה רתסב האמ וליפא ןתילו רוזחלו ןתיל הכוזה ירשאו םיאכדנו םילפש חור תויחהל הז ומכ םוקמה הקדצל ןתונה לבקי יאדוובו סנרפמ ארקנה הזה שודקה דסומל תולודג תוניתנ םימעפ.ויצלח יאצוימ השודקד תחנו גונעתו החמשב םילפכ ילפכב םימשה ןמ םלשמ ורכש וז תא ה"יוה בושב תוארל יאדווב הכזי השודקה ונצראב םיינעה תקזחה תוכזבו הקדצבו ושאר לע םלוע תחמשב הננרב ןויצל הלעיו הקדצב הדפת רשא ןויצ תביש.דעו הלס חצנ ןמא ותחפשמ לכו אוה הבוטל ויתולאשמ לכב ןנוכתיוז הבגשנ הקדצ ןעמל ח"וכהרעבליז הדוהי לאומשלארשי תנומא להקד ץ"מודr) ' x2.1J U, 1  2 •1W ,)�/  7 f·1 /J1'    �U     1/v             _ . ,· Endorsd by Gdolei Yisrol8

Page 9

I’m an avreich who works hard to earn a parnassah, but I do not bring home enough to sustain my household.Anyone with awareness about the situation here in Eretz Yisroel knows that this is the stark and regrettable reality.How can I even express the gratitude that ﬁlls the depth of my heart, to the precious emissaries of M’farnes. You have completely transformed and elevated the atmosphere in my home and especially when it comes to the Yamim Tovim. You are truly life savers.With lots of Hakaras Hatov!S.D.…Occasionally, in the past, we have received some aid, like food, from other charities. Never was it done in such a digniﬁed and respectable way as M’farnes. This simple, discreet card doesn’t attract any attention, and allows us to go do our grocery shopping while allowing us to keep our dignity.May Hashem bless you so that you can continue aiding Yiddishe Kinder, in good health, and never have to be on the receiving end, Amein!B.N.M.Beth Shemeshltter and msagTo the devoted askanim of M’farnes,I am not certain that this letter will manage to accurately portray the profound gratitude that we have towards you, but I must try. We were struggling ﬁnancially, right from our wedding day. We knew we could not expect any aid from both sets of parents, neither of which are well to do. We lived within our means and spent minimally…We learnt to live with the very minimum, and on some more difﬁcult days, without the minimal needs as well… Even while we tried to adjust to this frugal way of life, it was still very difﬁcult.Every time I ventured out to the grocery I asked my husband for 40 shekels (about eleven dollars) or sometimes sixty or eighty shekels so that I could purchase the bare minimum. I hated to pressure him with these requests; he simply didn’t possess even these negligible amounts. He so desperately attempted to provide the means with which to buy the food I needed to cook and prepare meals to nourish our young kids, but so many times, he simply had no shekel to spare.These situations were so painful and caused so much agony and pain in our lives. One day, my husband walked into our apartment, and with a shining face, removes a card from his pocket and says, “You can use this card to buy food for Shabbos.” I felt like a millionaire while walking through the aisles of the grocery store buying things I have not been able to dream about having for Shabbos. Things I would never even look at. Yogurts that the children have dreamed of, fruit that was always out of our budget, and so many other items as well.I walked up to the register and watched as the cashier swiped the M’farnes card and it went through! I left the store with large bags ﬁlled with all kinds of goods, and although the bags were heavy I had a huge spring in my step, my heart free of tension.That Shabbos was one we had never experienced. Our happiness was palpable, and our hearts were ﬁnally calm and content. My husband and children are still in disbelief about our newfound reality. I can’t estimate the s’char that those who saved my family from suffering, hunger, and stress will receive. The card is nestled in my hand and is reﬁlled every single week so that we can continue to buy everything we need for Shabbos and the rest of the week.We can never stop thanking you for this special kindness that you did with us. May Hashem help you continue the holy work of bringing serenity, Shalom Bayis, and loving kindness into so many Yiddishe homes. You should be blessed from above and succeed in all your great endeavors.With deep gratitude,Family E.9

Page 10

Inventory lling in the warehouse, and cryptocurrency Increased by ten thousand!One of the dedicated and hardworking M’farnes gabboei tzedakah traveled to Monsey, where he made his rounds at local shuls for his regular appeals.After he ended one appeal, he was approached by a man who introduced himself as a successful Amazon seller, dealing with large amounts of inventory that ﬂows through his warehouse on a regular basis. He explained that at that time his business was sputtering. The infamous supply-chain crisis was severely impacting his business. Because of Covid stafﬁng shortages, containers ﬁlled with wares got stuck along the way instead of being shipped to ports. This was happening to hundreds of his own huge containers that were supposed to be brought into the United States. Instead, they were stuck in limbo, waiting for workers to unload the goods at the ports. With a worldwide worker shortage, there was no apparent solution for his quandary.“Listen,” he said to the gabbai tzedakah, “I want to make a tzedakah-business deal with you. If this huge shipment of inventory arrives at the warehouse within two weeks' time, then I’ll take upon myself to sponsor one M’farnes family each week for an entire year.”The businessman added a stipulation: “But two weeks are two weeks and not a day later! And I want my inventory all loaded into my warehouse by then!” He added, “I am also involved with cryptocurrencies and have invested a great amount into them. I would like for you to daven that the value of the crypto coins should greatly increase at a rapid rate, and I’ll give the maaser of my earnings to M’farnes.”The M’farnes askan nodded his head in agreement and said, “I'll send an emissary to Eretz Yisroel to daven for you so that your needs are answered.”After a week and a half, the fundraiser received a call from Monsey.“You won’t believe it because I sure don’t! All of my cargo is in my warehouse!” He stopped to catch his breath. “And guess what? I don’t know how, why, or what, but my crypto has indeed increased in value by ten thousand a coin!”A short while later, this Yid, in addition to sponsoring a family for an entire year, also sent in a check for $50,000. That was the maaser he had earned on his crypto investment. M’farnes was immediately able to add some families from the waiting list who were now able to purchase their weekly groceries without stress and worry.I have no money to donate, but let me just give a small depositOn a scorching hot day during the summer of 2021, one of M’farnes’ askanim arrived in the Catskills to fundraise in upstate bungalow colonies.After one Shachris, the gabbai tzedakah approached a young man and asked him to pledge a weekly partnership to support a M’farnes family. The Yid spread his hands and with a bitter smile explained that as much as he would love to, he was simply unable to do it at the moment.He opened his heart to the gabbai tzedakah and described his own dire situation. “I’m supposed to be a talented individual with a good business sense, but it seems that whatever I touch goes bad. I can’t seem to succeed. I’ve tried so many different things in order to make money only to fail in each endeavor.”All of a sudden, his sour demeanor faded and with a smile, he made a suggestion.“I want to make a deal with M’farnes. If I succeed in completing a successful business deal within the next three weeks, I’ll agree to become a partner and sponsor a family for a year.”He counted out $36 in cash and gave it to the M’farnes fundraiser. “Consider this a deposit. If by some miracle I succeed at something in the next few weeks, I’ll follow through with the rest of the money to support a family for a year.”The fundraiser contacted the Yid in Eretz Yisroel who travels to the holy sites and had him daven for this young man’s success.M’farnes wasn’t founded to function as a “Yeshuos Factory” and we don’t guarantee that your donation will lead to a yeshua. That said, we cannot withhold some astounding stories we have personally been witness to – Yidden who merited open, wonderful yeshuos, in the zechus of helping needy children in Eretz Yisroel. OPEN MIRACLES!10

Page 11

Less than two weeks after their encounter, the fundraiser received a call from this very elated young man.“I’ve never made such a lucrative deal, and against all odds. I am one hundred percent certain that my pledge to help the poor in Eretz Yisroel caused the Ribbono Shel Olam to send this miracle my way.”This is not a story from a famous Rebbe. This happened to a “simple” M’farnes fundraiser. It might seem unbelievable, but in the ofﬁces of M’farnes this is not a shocking event. We are used to seeing miracles, not only with our donors, but with our fundraising efforts as well.This true story is another conﬁrmation of what we know to be true: Hashem keeps His promise that if you will make His people happy, then He will make you happy.Invested one hundred dollars, and received ve thousand as a result!While doing his rounds in one of the shuls in Williamsburg, a fundraiser was approached by a man whom he knew to be struggling ﬁnancially. So he was surprised when this Yid wanted to give $100. Though he was apprehensive about taking his money, he didn’t want to embarrass him by rejecting his donation in public, and accepted the money with a warm bracha.A few weeks later, on Chol Hamoed Sukkos, the M’farnes askan again met this acquaintance, who was excited to tell him an astonishing story.“I had stopped receiving my food stamps beneﬁts for a number of months. I have called several times to try to straighten matters out. Without food stamps, I cannot support my family. However, my efforts were for naught. I felt like I’d reached a brick wall. All the hurdles that the government bureaucrats put in front of me made it seem like I could not change the outcome.“When I saw you collecting for Yidden in Eretz Yisroel who struggle to feed their families, I had an epiphany. I decided that I’d donate as much as I could to feed other Yidden, and in that merit I hoped that I would be able to buy groceries for my own family.”He continued in disbelief.“The very day after I donated $100 to help M’farnes, a miracle happened. I suddenly received a phone call from the food stamps ofﬁce, telling me that they just now reviewed my case, and they discovered that they made a mistake and I am eligible for food stamps. I was still unsure how to process this when the government employee continued and said that not only would I receive food stamps from this point forward, but they would also give me all the beneﬁts from the last few months that I was eligible for but did not receive.“I was able to celebrate yom tov with abundance because of the $5000 that was added to my SNAP card!”The worker is back, and shidduchim begin moving forward!After making an appeal in a shul in upstate New York, a M’farnes gabbai tzedakah was stopped by a man who expressed his admiration for the wonderful work of M’farnes. “I’d love to share in this holy work and pledge my support. Unfortunately, I’m currently in a situation that doesn’t allow me to do so,” he told the askan.He explained that he was a contractor, and his line of work had been very proﬁtable in the past. He had a non-Jewish employee who was instrumental to his success. He was skilled and devoted, and supervised all the others. With time, the contractor became completely reliant on him.One day, out of the blue, the worker announced that he was leaving the business. The contractor was left reeling. His entire business was dependent on this worker and now his business would be left without direction. He was overwhelmed and scared, but he pushed himself to continue going. He hired another foreman, and after that one proved totally unreliable, another one in his stead. Slowly, complaints started piling up that his jobs were low quality and lacking in workmanship. Unwilling to provide subpar service and risk his reputation further, he ceased accepting new projects until he could ﬁnd a competent replacement.With this huge loss of income, he was left ﬁnancially and emotionally ﬂoundering, desperate and totally helpless.“I decided that I will not simply sit on my hands and accept this new reality. I will donate $180 dollars to M’farnes and hope that in the zechus of my donation, Hashem will help me ﬁnd a new manager.”He added that he had two older single children who had been in shidduchim for a long time and things were simply not progressing. He felt helpless about their situation and wrote their names on the memo line of the check he donated.Unbelievably, a mere few minutes after the check was deposited, the fundraiser received a phone call.“Hello? I don’t even believe it myself!” The contractor was in a frenzy, and the askan could not make out his words. It took the contractor a moment to calm himself down enough to share the reason he called.“You know who I just hung up the phone with? My former worker. I haven’t heard from him in months and he never responded to any of my calls. Now he wants his job back.”They compared the call record to the time when the check deposit was recorded among the bank transactions.They were identical.The Yid was in tears – never had he been able to see Yad Hashem so clearly as in this instance, when his donation to M’farnes was shown to be the catalyst to a sunny ﬁnancial future.A few days passed and the contractor called to share more good news. His son was about to get engaged and shadchanim had once again began calling him with ﬁne suggestions for his daughter. It seems obvious that partnering with M’farnes, and assisting them in their holy work of feeding needy Jews in Eretz Yisroel with dignity and helping them gain ﬁnancial independence, is a zechus to receive Hashem’s help in whatever one needs.11

Mfarnes - Brochure

Page 1

Page 2