2008 Woodie Awards
L'man Achai Takes on Israel's Poverty
New Initiative Launched At Seforim Sale Kickoff
Sam Blass
Issue date: 3/8/05 Section: News
On February 9, 2005, Wilf Campus saw the return of the 34th annual Seforim Sale organized by the Student Organization of Yeshiva (SOY). In conjunction with the Seforim Sale kickoff, L'man Achai, a student-run philanthropic organization, launched a new initiative in an attempt to raise awareness of an ongoing poverty crisis in Israel. The kick-off event, as well as tables of cookies and soda, drew approximately 100 people to the fifth floor of Belfer Hall.
The event featured speakers such as President Richard Joel, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, and Rabbi Meir Goldvicht. President Joel introduced the two programs by giving some statistics on the Seforim Sale, which boasts over 10,000 titles. Last year, approximately 12,000 people visited the sale and bought approximately 50,000 books. The Seforim Sale is the largest sale of Jewish books organized by students in America, and grosses over a million dollars. In the words of shopper Evy Stieglitz (SSBW-'07), "It offers great selections and great deals all in one easily accesible place."
"This is [also] a major social event. You can't find this anywhere else," said President Joel. Staff has worked around the clock, setting up for the three-week event.
Jona Rechnitz, president of SOY, announced at the kick-off that one percent of the proceeds that night would go to L'man Achai, a student organization founded during the Intifada in 2000 to aid terror victims, which announced the anti-poverty campaign at the 2004 Chanukah dinner. "I'm really excited to be focusing on such an important issue. I was just there [in Israel], and saw firsthand how desperately this help is needed," said Shoshana Agetstein, Stern College for Women '07. "Many people do not realize the severity of this problem."
L'man Achai's website states that 1.4 million Israelis are living below the poverty line (22.4 percent of the population). Additionally, 22 percent of Israeli families cannot afford to eat nutritiously. They can't afford to eat meat, vegetables, or milk on a regular basis. Of 2,357 parents interviewed in the Negev, 17 percent said that they can't afford to give their children two pieces of bread in the morning to eat.
The event featured speakers such as President Richard Joel, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, and Rabbi Meir Goldvicht. President Joel introduced the two programs by giving some statistics on the Seforim Sale, which boasts over 10,000 titles. Last year, approximately 12,000 people visited the sale and bought approximately 50,000 books. The Seforim Sale is the largest sale of Jewish books organized by students in America, and grosses over a million dollars. In the words of shopper Evy Stieglitz (SSBW-'07), "It offers great selections and great deals all in one easily accesible place."
"This is [also] a major social event. You can't find this anywhere else," said President Joel. Staff has worked around the clock, setting up for the three-week event.
Jona Rechnitz, president of SOY, announced at the kick-off that one percent of the proceeds that night would go to L'man Achai, a student organization founded during the Intifada in 2000 to aid terror victims, which announced the anti-poverty campaign at the 2004 Chanukah dinner. "I'm really excited to be focusing on such an important issue. I was just there [in Israel], and saw firsthand how desperately this help is needed," said Shoshana Agetstein, Stern College for Women '07. "Many people do not realize the severity of this problem."
L'man Achai's website states that 1.4 million Israelis are living below the poverty line (22.4 percent of the population). Additionally, 22 percent of Israeli families cannot afford to eat nutritiously. They can't afford to eat meat, vegetables, or milk on a regular basis. Of 2,357 parents interviewed in the Negev, 17 percent said that they can't afford to give their children two pieces of bread in the morning to eat.