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A Letter From The Heart of A Volunteer of L知aan B地os Yisrael International
The air is filled with excitement as I step into the L知aan B地os Yisrael International
Chanukah Celebration 2002.As I walk in, I can稚 help but smile as the excitement washes over
me. I feel the happiness permeating the room, and engulf me. I look around and see children
everywhere smiling, laughing, and just having a good time. As a volunteer of L知aan B地os
Yisrael International for numerous years, I know the situation that many of these children are
experiencing, and I understand the significance to their happiness. We dance, talk and eat all
the delicious nosh that has been provided.
As the night progresses I forget about volunteering and all the hardship that these
families are dealing, and I get swept up in the fun and excitement. I dance with my two-year-
old daughter and watch her having fun alongside a child who has not laughed in a long
time due to the agunah crisis that is consuming her life.
The night concludes with the distribution of the toys that the children have been
eagerly waiting. It seems as though they have not received a new toy in what must have felt
like a lifetime. Their faces glow when they see these amazing new toys that they will receive
for Chanukah. For a brief moment, these children feel and actually are like just like all the
other Jewish children in the world who are celebrating Chanukah.
This year L知aan B地os Yisrael International has cooked up another miracle and is
planning a sensational Chanukah celebration with Shloime Dachs. Those who have not
met a child of an agunah cannot possibly understand the significance of this concert. How
often does a child of an agunah go to a Shloime Dachs concert? The answer is rarely, if at all.
I cannot imagine the joy that these children will feel this Chanukah, and I anticipate attending
not only to show support but also to grow within myself. I have found that I have gained more
from volunteering at L知aan B地os Yisrael International than I could have anticipated.
Chanukah is a time that I have learned to appreciate all that I have in my life and to give
thanks to Hashem.
Why can稚 a little take us a long way just like the oil of Chanukah that took just a drop
to last eight days? So too the little that I have in my life seems so much compared to what
these children have. When I was growing up, I received toys for Chanukah. I was probably
ungrateful and complained that they were not what I wanted. Many of these children get
nothing at all for Chanukah. Let痴 join together to ensure that these children really do have a
nice Chanukah. They have learned to make a drop of happiness last for a while.
A Volunteer of L知aan B地os Yisrael International
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