ABOUT

Yad Ezra V’Shulamit is fighting a different kind of war. By providing food, clothing, and emergency relief to tens of thousands of Israeli children and their families each year, we’re fighting a battle for the future of our most precious resource – Jewish children.

The poverty crisis in Israel has worsened dramatically since Yad Ezra V’Shulamit’s founding in 1988.

Today, an astonishing one-third of all children live below the poverty line.

Yad Ezra V’Shulamit is reaching out to these forgotten children and their families with these year-round efforts:

12,000 weekly food baskets and food vouchers distributed in 93 cities
55,000 food baskets distributed for Passover and Rosh Hashanah
Children’s Centers providing food, educational support and fun activities for 500 children daily
Distribution of new coats, shoes, backpacks, school supplies, blankets and heaters
Emergency relief delivering tons of food to victims of war and terror

Yad Ezra V’Shulamit was founded by Mr. Ariel Lurie, a Jerusalem businessman who grew up poor himself. Today Mr. Lurie runs the organization, together with hundreds of volunteers, who do their best to make sure every child knows that he will be fed and clothed, and personally cared for as much as any other child with means.

Volunteers

“Of the people, by the people and for the people” is the unofficial motto of Yad Ezra V’Shulamit’s all-volunteer effort to rescue our brethren from the shame and pain of poverty. Many of our 1,000 volunteers have benefited personally from our assistance in the past. Led by Mr. Ariel Lurie, Yad Ezra V’Shulamit’s volunteers carry out almost all facets of our nationwide food distribution and individual support services.

Food

Food is collected by the organization a wide variety of ways:

Our truck goes to kibbutzim and moshavim to collect ‘gifts’ from the farmers.
Staff call to get donations from food warehouses and/or other businesses.
We purchase what is missing from the baskets each week.
The Ministry of Agriculture directs us to agricultural centers, which now provides us with generous supplies of vegetables.

How the Food Baskets Get Assembled

Between Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, fruit and vegetables are brought in bulk to the main distribution point. The volunteers then begin to divide up all of the food and fill the individual baskets. Over 200 volunteers work in sorting and packaging. From 1PM every Thursday, the baskets are sent to neighborhood distribution points where families who have registered and been approved can come and pick up their basket. There are many families who are unable to come or feel embarrassed to personally pick up their parcel. For these families, volunteers (over 100 at present) drive to their homes and leave their packages outside their doorstep.

Jerusalem Headquarters, Supporting 35 Cities

The head office is situated in Jerusalem, but our non-profit organization supports children and families in poverty across 35 cities in Israel.

It should be noted that our organization is highly recommended, including recommendations from the President and the office of the Chief Rabbinate, the Prime Minister of Israel, Rav Ovadia Yosef, ztal, and Rav Kaduri, ztzl.

Letter from the Founder

Many of your brethren in Israel now find themselves in dire situations, with no means of providing even the bare minimum of sustenance for themselves.

Statistics released by the Israel National Insurance Institute in 2021 show over 853,000 children living below the poverty line – that accounts for almost one-third of all children in the country!

Other reports also indicate many, many entire families suffering from lack of food.

They are in desperate need. They turn to us, we turn to you. Help us help Israel’s poor.

Respectfully yours,

Ariel S. Lurie
Founder and Director
Yad Ezra V’Shulamit