Project Rosh Hashanah: Beginning 5786 with Hope, Dignity, and Shared Blessings

After two years of hardship, financial uncertainty, personal struggles, and devastating collective loss, this Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, holds much more than the turning of a calendar page. It carries with it the promise of renewal, of hope, of change. For many families, it is a fragile but vital chance to hold on to optimism, to believe that despite everything, the year ahead can still be sweet.

As families across Israel prepare for the New Year, the emotions are mixed. While this meaningful holiday represents renewal and hope, for thousands of struggling families, it also brings uncertainty about how they will provide a proper holiday meal for their children. The reality is heartbreaking: elderly widows struggling to cover the cost of challah and wine, single mothers calculating whether they can afford both chicken for dinner and school supplies for their children.

At Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, we know that these precious moments, the times when we gather around the table with family, share blessings over apples and honey, and raise our voices in prayer, are more than tradition. They are a source of strength, dignity, and belonging. They lift our spirits and remind us that no matter the challenges, we are part of something larger than ourselves: Am Yisrael.

From 12,000 to 62,000: Five Times the Giving

Every week Yad Ezra V’Shulamit distributes approximately 12,000 food baskets filled with staples to help parents put meals on the table. These baskets are a lifeline, distributed through our network of 93 distribution points situated all across Israel. Our 15 trucks and dedicated volunteers ensure that no corner of the country is forgotten, from major cities to small towns, reaching Israel’s most vulnerable populations.

But during Rosh Hashanah the need is far greater. Families want, and deserve, to preserve the holiday traditions of dipping apples and challah in honey for a sweet new year. And to feel the joy of all the traditional symbolic foods without the shadow of scarcity.

That’s why this year, through Project Rosh Hashanah, Yad Ezra will provide an extraordinary 62,000 food baskets and grocery vouchers, five times our regular weekly distribution. This year, we are working to provide these holiday packages all across Israel, where widows, orphans, elderly men and women, and struggling families are wondering how they will put food on the table this Rosh Hashanah.

More Than Food: Dignity and Hope

Each basket will be filled not just with essentials, but with holiday foods that allow families to celebrate with dignity, tradition, and hope. Every basket feeds a family of six for the entire holiday, complete with chicken, fish, challah, grape juice, fruits, vegetables, pantry staples, and the dignity of a proper Yom Tov meal.

This isn’t just apples and honey. It’s the chance for a fresh start in the New Year.
When a mother in Bat Yam opens her Project Rosh Hashanah basket, she doesn’t just find food. She discovers the ability to create memories, to call her children to a table filled with tradition.

A Holiday of Renewal and Tzedakah

Rosh Hashanah is not just the start of a year; it is a spiritual reset. Jewish tradition teaches us that during these Days of Awe, our prayers, our repentance, and our tzedakah, our acts of giving, help shape what lies ahead.

That is why many of our donors, in Israel and around the world, step forward at this time to support Project Rosh Hashanah. They know that beginning the year with generosity doesn’t just bless others, it blesses their own homes as well. Our donors understand that starting the New Year with acts of kindness and generosity doesn’t just help struggling families, but also brings blessing to their own homes.

The Monumental Challenge

Distributing 62,000 baskets is no small undertaking. It requires immense coordination across our four warehouses, dedicated volunteers working day and night, precise logistics to reach families from North to South, and most of all, the loyal support of our donors.

As we stand on the threshold of 5786, let us begin with acts of compassion, kindness, and generosity. Together, we can ensure that no family in Israel goes hungry this Rosh Hashanah. Together, we can ensure that when the shofar sounds to welcome the New Year, it finds every Israeli home ready to answer with gratitude, celebration, and hope.

From our family at Yad Ezra V’Shulamit to yours, we wish you a year filled with blessing, resilience, and hope. Shanah Tovah U’Metukah, may this be a year of goodness and sweetness for all of Am Yisrael.