Recently, Yeshivah of Flatbush students, faculty and families went on their sixth annual hesed trip to Israel, visiting hospitals, army bases, homes for abused women, orphanages, soup kitchens and centers for disabled children. The trip, lead by Rabbi Naftali Besser and Susan Franco, a Flatbush alumna and mother, brought song and dance, laughter and joy, caring and compassion to the people of Israel.
Giving to others was all in a day’s work on our hesed mission. The trip was started six years ago by Rabbi Naftali Besser, the Dean of Students at Yeshivah of Flatbush. He said that he had a dream of going to Israel and giving out gifts to make children happy. It began when he mentioned this dream to one man, who promptly gave him $1,000 to start funding the trip. “If I could raise $1,000 without even asking, imagine how much I could help if I really try,” Rabbi Besser had said.
The group of about 30 Flatbush students, family members, and faculty brought about 60 duffel bags filled with brand new gifts, donated by community members, for the people of Israel: toys for children, scarves and gloves for soldiers who can’t afford them, clothing for children, and much, much more.
Handing out these gifts was an amazing experience. We’d give a little boy a gift and the biggest smile would spread on his face. We’d give a mother some beauty products and she would thank us almost endlessly. These things, small to us, meant a lot to the people we visited.
We visited Schneider’s Hospital, an enormous, beautiful children’s hospital located in Petach Tikva. It’s hard to believe that it is a hospital, due to all the decorations everywhere. We entered each room in groups of two or three. We spoke with the parents in Hebrew, and gave them each a present, based on the child’s age and gender. We watched their childrens’ faces light up. We also gave some parents presents to keep them occupied while they were in the hospital with their children. A few families heard what we were doing and couldn’t wait for us to visit them.
One student stayed in the room with a little boy and his mother for about half an hour. The little boy was so touched, he named the stuffed animal that we gave him after this student. One girl was in quarantine, and Susan Franco put on all of the doctors’ clothes so she could give her a doll. All the students looked through the glass, and watched the child’s response. She was so happy.
Another important part of the trip was expressing to Israeli soldiers that we care. These soldiers have no idea how concerned we are in America for their safety. They were shocked when we told them that we pray for them daily in our schools and shuls. On Saturday night, we sponsored and attended a Melaveh Malkah through Todah L’Tzahal on an army base. We interacted, sang and danced with the soldiers, served them a meal, and gave out gifts. The energy and warmth in the room was amazing. We later found out how much this meant to the soldiers that weren’t allowed to leave the base for Shabbat. It brought a lot of joy to their week, and we were told, after our trip, that the soldiers spoke about it for weeks on end.
Another incredible experience was giving soldiers pizza at midnight at several checkpoints around Beit Lechem. They were ecstatic to have fresh, hot pizza served to them in the freezing cold. We spoke to them about America and they too were shocked to hear that we pray for them. They loved the gifts that we gave and had no idea that we cared so much. The soldiers were so touched and surprised that we visited them to show love and support.
We also went to orphanages, where we became friends with the children. At one special Emunah Home in Netanya, the Benun/Cohen family dedicated a much-needed Torah in honor of their son’s bar mitzvah. A big party was thrown where the orphans, the hesed mission participants and the Benun/Cohen family came together.
We even had the opportunity to sponsor a wedding of a couple without much family, and we were the main guests. We danced with the bride and groom as though we knew them for years! This was the true meaning of participating in the happiness of a bride and groom.
The trip was filled with visits like these. We peeled potatoes and carrots and served lunch in soup kitchens. We saw kids with severe disabilities and interacted with them. We made Tu Bishvat projects with autistic children and helped at a music class for disabled children.
When the vacation ended, many of us were close to tears. Nobody wanted to get on that plane to America. We realized how lucky we are, and how much we have. Seeing others less fortunate than we are made us appreciate everything so much more—from our family, our possessions, our lifestyles, to the fact that we were even able to go on this trip.
“I want to instill in your minds that hesed can be cool,” said Rabbi Besser. “It’s not only that you have to do your 40 hours for school; hesed can be fun. It’s a hard thing to do with teenagers, but when I hear a student say that this was the best vacation, better than a typical trip, I know that I did my job.”
The Tzedakah Commission at Yeshivah of Flatbush, along with Susan Franco raised the funds and gifts for this trip, making it possible to touch the lives of so many Israelis.
A very special thank you is owed to all the people who shared in this mitzvah by donating money and gifts to make our trip possible. Even though they were not with us on the trip, they were there in spirit with each gift we handed to the orphans, soldiers and hospital patients, and all the people who make having a Jewish homeland a reality.
_____________
Sophia Braha is a student at the Yeshivah of Flatbush.
