KAVOD

For my mitzvah project I would like to raise awareness about the Holocaust and it's remaining Survivors. Four of my great-grandparents, Lili and Elias Green and Brenda and Herman Marczak, survived the Holocaust. My Bubby Brenda and Zeidi Herman survived the concentration camps. My Bubby Lili was hidden in a monastery and passed as Catholic to survive. And my Zeidi Green fought in the resistance with the Czech army. They all have courageous stories and my hope is that, for my Bar Mitzvah, my friends and family will read/listen to their stories and be advocates for and allies to the Jewish people, because anti-semitism is still alive and well, and my great-grandparents didn't survive those horrors only for it to happen again a few generations later. As Jews, we vow "never again". We can't allow history to repeat itself.

 

My mitzvah project has two parts - education and fundraising. Please visit the following links to educate yourself about what it was like to survive the Holocaust. My Zeidi Herman told his story to the Shoah Foundation, and my other great-grandparents have profiles published at portraitsofhonor.org. You can read their stories here:

 

In honor of my 50th birthday, and more poignantly the survivors of the Holocaust living in the United States, I ask you to join me today in contributing to KAVOD.

I saw an article on KAVOD in the Washington Post on my actual birthday two weeks ago and was shocked to learn that  one-third of the 80,000 survivors living in the US are at or near the poverty line!  Think about that -- that's crazy.  And sad.

I called KAVOD's founder and we talked for 30 minutes.   100% of the funds KAVOD raises go to survivors to provide basic necessities.   I have full confidence that KAVOD is 100% credible.  We played Jewish geography and he even knows my cousin from synagogue in Memphis.

I know it's important that funds are directed to basic needs (rent, groceries, medications) but more importantly - I want to be part of letting survivors know they are not forgotten. 

Please join me today -- in celebration of my 50th birthday and in honor of the memories of all those who perished in the Holocaust that we remember today on Holocaust Remembrance Day / Yom HaShoa -- and contribute to KAVOD. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity honoring those who perished in the Holocaust and providing dignity to the survivors in the twilights of their lives.

About KAVOD 
100% of the money KAVOD raises is sent to Jewish Family Services organizations around the country who have the relationships with and means to support the survivors in their communities.  The money goes to the Survivors in the form of gift cards to Grocery Stores, Pharmacies and other service providers. The aid offers relief for Emergency situations to help pay for basic day to day needs like food and medicine.