Dear Friends,

A few years ago, right before Chanukah, I was on a trip to Eretz Yisrael and I went to visit one of Yad Eliezer�s coat distribution centers, located in a small apartment on the 3rd floor of a dimly lit building. Crumbling steps and narrow hallways didn�t deter the people who were waiting in line.

As usual, I was curious about the recipients, and wanted to learn how we at Yad Eliezer could improve our services.� I began chatting with one of them, a young father.

�Three years ago,� he began, �I received brand new coats for my 3 children from Yad Eliezer.� They never had new coats before and were ecstatic! But let me first tell you what happened the day I brought those coats home. It was not yet cold outside so when I walked into the house I started to hang them in the closet. My son Gedalya (then almost 6) saw that one of them was his size, and his eyes widened. He said in disbelief, �Is that for me?�� Gedalya put on the coat, which fit perfectly, and refused to take it off. Despite the warm weather that coat stayed on – throughout the school day and even into the night until finally, we convinced him to take it off.�

�I wish� the father continued, �that the donor of Gedalya�s coat could see the joy on the faces of all my children as they wore their coats that year.�The warmth that they were given wasn�t just physical.�It was warmth that comes from compassion and love – a unique warmth that never dissipates.�

For Gedalya and thousands of children in Eretz Yisrael, an essential winter coat is a fantastic gift. And for countless Israeli families, receiving a box of food essentials – rice, flour, pasta, and oil – allows them to prepare warm, nutritious meals for their children. A few cans of baby formula is something we may consider a basic essential, but for a mother who is too malnourished to nurse her baby, and would otherwise water down the formula to make it stretch, a full supply of the precious powder is a treasure.

Please help us provide for so many of our brothers and sisters with these basic necessities wonderful Chanukah gifts. For only 4360 you can provide baby formula for a baby for a full year. For 418 a young child will wear a brand-new coat. A box of basic food supplies for a month is $54.

May we all be Zocheh (merit) to warm,�feed and shelter those who need us most.

Please help us provide our brothers and sisters with these essential gifts and make it a brighter Chanukah this year.