During winter break from school, and in Israel for a family Simcha, the Kilimnicks made sure to do a Mitzvah during their Israel vacation.  Doni, Yonah, Raanan and Nili, along with parents Suzie and Yosef, banged together some walkers at Yad Sarah, which will be lent afterwards from one of the over 100 free equipment lending branches across the country.  It was a long way from Rochester, New York to lend a hand, but the Kilimnick's assistance will go even further than they can imagine.

 

Thanks so much for coming to visit and to help us help others!

 

It was an interesting and enjoyable outing for the Kahn family – not to mention a way to do some chessed; a tour of Yad Sarah House in Jerusalem, including a stop in the Hands-on Room, where visitors assemble walkers to be used in the Yad Sarah Lending Center.  The Kahns- two parents and two children, living in Jerusalem on a five month sabbatical – all had something positive to say about Yad Sarah.

            "I liked the place where you could push the button when you needed help," said Elle, age seven-and-a-half, referring to the Yad Sarah Emergency Alarm Center, "and they'd call you right back."

            The parents were equally impressed.

            "My favorite part was the Guidance and Exhibition Center," confided Camille Kahn.  "That's great problem-solving, simple solutions that can really make a difference in people's lives."

            "The ease of the whole process is what I'm impressed with, how streamlined it is," said Rob Kahn, rabbi of the Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "People can make use of Yad Sarah without a lot of red tape.  They can get to what they need."

It was hard to contain the excitement of David, 8, who wanted to assemble more walkers. In Israel for the first time with his parents, David was full of questions about the equipment he saw throughout the building, and about the Butterfly Playground for children with special needs. Visiting from Overland Park, Kansas with parents Jay and Margie, and his three siblings, David & company enjoyed a tour through Yad Sarah which included the Enrichment Center for Children with Special Needs and their Families. Aaron, 13, Yosef, 15, and Channah, 17, demonstrated mechanical dexterity as they too, threaded washers on the frames of the walkers they built. Yad Sarah should be so lucky to host many more family teams who come in and lend 12 hands to Yad Sarah, all in a short time. Thanks so much for visiting and volunteering with us! We look forward to maintaining the connection, and hosting you in Israel again, soon.

Hailing from West Hempstead, New York, Esther and daughters Kayli (16), Eden (14) and Dana (10) committed a week of their summer Israel trip volunteering at Yad Sarah. They wanted to give back to a country they love so dearly, and spent the week assembling walkers, assisting in a rehab center, visiting the homebound, and distributing meals on wheels. "My first trips to Israel I felt as if I was taking from Israel by just coming here and seeing the sights," said Eden. "Now I finally feel as if I am giving back to Israel and doing something in return for what they have given me." Sister Dana concurred. "People are taking time out of their lives to help. These people need attention and it is good that there are people here to help them," remarked Dana.
A wonderful byproduct of the Gerson's experience at Yad Sarah is their desire to volunteer even more when they return to West Hempstead. "Being at Yad Sarah has showed me so many things I can do to help people and how much fun it is to do things for others," said Eden. When I go home I will definitely help out more." And they anticipate returning to Yad Sarah on future Israel trips. "This is an organization that does different things, and I would like to volunteer here again," said Kayli.

The Gersons' week at Yad Sarah made an impact on the lives of many Israelis. It also made an indelible impression on their character and Jewish identity, a feeling that will last the Gersons a lifetime, as Eden already believes. "Yad Sarah is too cool!!"