Passover Relief Fund

March 9, 2023

A FERVENT APPEAL TO OUR FAMILY FROM THE SANDY EISENSTAT BENEVOLENT FUND OF KJ

Dear KJ Family,

Extraordinary challenges call for extraordinary responses.

Once again, this year, we begin our preparations for Pesach with our Passover Relief Appeal for the congregation’s Benevolent Fund. That Appeal doesn’t just help people observe the Passover holiday; it also is our major appeal for the year to enable us to say YES to all kinds of people in need and many institutions in America and in Israel which serve the Jewish people in chesed and in Torah. KJ has always been called upon by people and organizations. We have prided ourselves on the ability to say YES to these calls. In order to do so, we ask you to say YES to this appeal.

Last Passover, we did just that. We raised over $200,000 for Passover Relief. We live in inflationary times and the people and organizations that depend on us have inflated needs and so we hope we can do better this year.

Two examples: first, we lead all congregations in New York in our support for Met Council and its Passover Food distribution effort. Met Council has greatly expanded its food services to meet the needs of people with food insecurity, especially at Passover time. Our normal contribution for several years was $25,000. Last year we actually sent Met Council $35,000 for their Passover food distribution effort. It is the responsibility of a congregation like ours to support this critical, communal effort very generously. We need to be able to say “YES!” to Met Council.

Further, we need to support members of our own community who are suffering, quietly and anonymously, and to whom we must say “YES!” when they call upon us. This is the responsibility of us all in this difficult time.

(Once again this year, as for the past few years, Audrey and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein whose traditional Passover Relief contribution used to be $1,000, have just pledged $2,000 because of the pressing needs.)

Extraordinary challenges call for extraordinary responses. The KJ family has always been extraordinary, so please give extraordinarily, and may we all sit down at our Sedarim, knowing that we did our very best to fulfill the beginning words of the Haggadah: “Let all who are hungry come and eat.”

Please respond generously by donating online ckj.org/pay and selecting “Benevolent Fund –Passover Relief.” May God hear our response and may He respond in turn by healing the afflicted and relieving the suffering.

Best wishes for a Chag Kasher v’Sameach, a happy and healthy Pesach festival.

Chaim Steinmetz

Haskel Lookstein

Roy Feldman

Meyer Laniado

Rachel and Daniel Kraus