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Bonei Olam’s Vault Event Attracts Over 1,500 Attendees
BONEI OLAM FLORIDA AND HOW IT WAS BORN
Meet Shimmy and Haddasa Manela the founders of Bonei Olam Florida
This is a story of life long pain transformed into tzedaka and chesed on another level. Bonei Olam was founded in 1999 by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bochner. After many years of trying to conceive a child through IVF, they were unsuccessful. Through their tears, and with their sweat and blood, they started Bonei Olam. Treatments for IVF are notoriously expensive. If biology and science can say no, money is where we draw the line. Couples unable to have children because of financial means? Ridiculous in our tzedaka based communities. Rabbi Bochner had a vision. A vision where struggling couples could have what he and his wife could not, where his own friends and family who were suffering would no longer have to. His beautiful brain child, Bonei Olam, provides the financial support needed for the rigorous and abundant treatments. They have set their mission to provide all resources necessary to allow childless couples facing infertility the opportunity to pursue medical fertility treatment. From their pain and their strength, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bochner have brought over 10,000 babies into this world with the aid of Bonei Olam. An unimaginable and monumental feat. Couples all over the tri-state area having been turning to Bonei Olam for help, emotionally and monetarily.
Enter Shimmy and Haddasa Manela. A young couple living in Florida undergoing their own IVF journey of eight years. They were familiar with Rabbi Bochner and Bonei Olam as they had done many treatments in New York and had their own triumphs and tragedies with infertility. Although they hadn’t needed Bonei Olam for themselves, they couldn’t help but wonder how their own community was handling infertility costs. Could it be that they were suffering in silence? Current statistics indicate one out of every eight couples are faced with the challenges of infertility. That means someone in your shul, in your carpool rotation and on your block. What were all of these Florida couples doing for treatments?
In 2020, Shimmy and Haddasa sat down with Rabbi Bochner to discuss the south Florida communities infertility resources. They discovered there were little to no resources or funds. If a couple needed help, they had to fly all the way to New York. That means time off work, flights and hotels, adding to the costs of an already expensive process. The meeting progressed and the South Florida Chapter of Bonei Olam was born with Shimmy and Haddasa as cofounders.
Since the birth of the South Florida Chapter, they have assembled an incredible team of volunteers who work around the clock putting together fundraisers, managing the office and all the campaigns that come with running a non-profit organization.
At Bonei Olam Florida, they work with over fifty couples annually. When a couple reaches out for help, within twenty-four hours they are linked with a guidance counselor who is with them every step of the way. With the help of Bonei Olam’s medical team, they decide which clinic and which path the couple should take for the course of their treatment. When it comes to infertility, there is no guarantee that any treatment will work. Many couples have to do multiple treatments before a successful pregnancy comes around. With treatments costing over $18,000 per round, it is Bonei Olam’s top priority to continuously fundraise for the South Florida communities.
Fundraising with phone calls or links to a website is beautiful, but it lacks pizzazz. And one thing Shimmy and Haddasa do not lack, is pizzazz. They decided to start two annual fundraisers. Knockout and The Vault. Knockout is a volleyball tournament with food and entertainment that takes place in February. It’s a lively and well attended sporting event the whole of South Florida enjoys. The Vault is Bonei Olam Florida’s first annual event and how the whole South Florida Chapter kicked off. The Vault is the dream shopping day out. A dedicated team of volunteers put together a massive, one of a kind popup-shop mall. There are Jewish vendors from all over the globe who jumped to have the opportunity to secure a spot at The Vault. Booths are set up in a large warehouse style venue, decorated to perfection. There are clothing booths, jewlery booths, wig booths, houseware booths, food booths and anything else you can think of. A beautiful cafe is set up and a movie room off to the side with Shimmy and Haddasa’s story playing on repeat. Swag bags are given out per ticket purchase, and raffles are held. There are plenty of opportunities for corporate sponsorships and many wonderful brands donate their products or their time. It’s aptly done right before the chagim so everyone can get their holiday shopping done in one spot. It’s a community favorite and the turn out is fantastic.
The first Vault event was done in September of 2021. It was located at the Chabad of Aventura and over 750 men and women attended. Each of those attendees all left the event shocked at what they had just experienced. Florida had never seen anything like it. A popup shop mall with over thirty diverse Jewish vendors all in one space? Miami Beach doesn’t even have a kosher butcher store, forget more than one Jewish establishment in the same place. Year one was a real hit, and Bonei Olam South Florida knew they had struck gold.
This year while planning The Vault, Bonei Olam Florida’s team spent months handpicking the best local and international vendors for the ultimate pre- holiday shopping experience. With over eighty vendors signed up for The Vault this year, they knew it would need to be bigger and better for the South Florida communities. The Vault took place at the Miami Airport Convention Center, an ultra large space designed for expos. Every inch was used and the event was packed with over 1,500 attendees, double the
amount from last year. The energy of the room was unbelievable. With so many Jewish entrepreneurs all in one room, you needed a map to make sure to hit every booth.
The Vault 2022 had a few more extras than 2021. An interactive “punch wall” was set up for attendees to win prizes. With a donation of $50 to Bonei Olam, people had the opportunity to punch through the punch wall and win prizes ranging in value from $5-$2,000. It was a huge hit, pardon the pun. The cinema room was not only playing Shimmy and Haddasa’s fertility journey, but other Bonei Olam couples’ stories as well. They spoke about their journey to parenthood, helping normalize the struggles of infertility. This years Vault raised enough funds to help over five couples begin their fertility treatments. An all around success, with hopes to come back even bigger and better next year.
Up until then, most people knew Shimmy and Haddasa Manela as a popular young couple in their twenties, with a thriving social life and a knack for hosting fabulous parties. When they brought Bonei Olam to Florida, they were seen in a different light. They weren’t just that fun couple you see on Instagram, they were a couple struggling with grief and child loss. They are two people yearning for a child of their own. When you hear that one in every eight couples struggle with infertility, it’s just a concept that doesn’t feel very real. Until you pause and realize you have eight siblings, and ten people make a minyan. It’s a lot closer to home than you realize.
Shimmy and Haddasa looked at the pain of infertility and child loss in the face and made it their mission to never let another couple go through the same pain or heartbreak, due to a lack of funds or resources.
Since the Florida Chapter of Bonei Olam started in 2020, over 22 babies have been brought into this world. We look forward to continue building worlds together with the help of Bonei Olam South Florida.
NEW PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN IN HOLLYWOOD!
DR. JUSTIN Y. SHEMESH BOARD CERTIFIED IN FAMILY MEDICINE
Dr. Justin Shemesh grew up in Staten Island, New York. He and his family moved from New York to South Florida in 2017. He takes pride in his Jewish and middle eastern Heritage and plays an active role at local synagogues. He speaks English, Hebrew, and Spanish fluently. Dr. Shemesh received his Osteopathic Medical Degree at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has served as a clinical mentor for medical students and residents of local schools including Larkin Community Hospital, NOVA Southeastern University, and Ross university. Dr. Shemesh treats his patients with an empathetic, holistic and thorough approach. Dr. Shemesh has a passion for weight loss treatment, disease prevention, and mental health disorders.
Annual Physicals Ultrasounds Genetic Testing In-House Blood Drawing Diabetes Management Weight Loss Management Same Day Appointments Extended Office Hours and much more…
