Don’t Let The Missiles Stop The Seder!

What War Means for Israel’s Working Class:

When the siren blare, Rivka grabs her two children and runs down four flights of stairs to the building’s shelter. She rushes to the shelter, waits for the all-clear, and slowly returns upstairs. 

She's done it again and again. And again. But as the sirens blare, Rivka isn’t only thinking about the rockets and the danger. She’s also worrying about her paycheck.

The restaurant where she works has been closed since the attacks began. Like many workers across Israel, she will likely receive only half a paycheck this month – or less.  Barely enough to cover rent, and Pesach is coming. 

“Please,” Rivka said when she called Yad Ezra V’Shulamit asking for a food basket, “we just need food for Pesach… at least for the Seder.”

At Yad Ezra V'Shulamit, the phones have been ringing constantly.

Since the latest round of fighting began, thousands of new families have reached out asking for help with food. Passover preparations are expensive even in a normal year. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the sudden loss of income has made the situation overwhelming. 

Yad Ezra V'Shulamit is preparing hundreds of thousands of Pesach food baskets filled with the essentials families need for the Seder: matzah, chicken, grape juice, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. Because everyone should have the chance to celebrate the holiday of freedom in dignity.

What began years ago as one man quietly feeding hungry neighbors has grown into a lifeline for families across Israel. Today over 300,000 people rely on Yad Ezra V’Shulamit for food. And this year, tens of thousands more people are on the waiting list for a Pesach food basket.

This year has brought unmatched challenges, especially for Israel’s poor. Volunteers are working to make sure that when Seder night arrives, families with limited means will sit at the table, lift a cup of grape juice, and tell the story that has carried the Jewish people through every generation.

Help make sure the sirens don’t stop the Seder. Visit yadezra.net/pesach to feed families in Beit Shemesh and all across Israel for Pesach!