A lady that deserves some of your tithe

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As we have been doing a lot of research and articles on the 3rd year tithe, the tithe to widow, orphan and strangers, we are searching for people we could support. We try to find people within Israel that we can help with our tithe. Shoshana_Miriam-2In our search, a friend of ours introduced us to a lady that does wonderful work in Jerusalem. During our recent trip to Jerusalem, we had the marvelous opportunity to meet this wonderful lady, Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam and her daughter Eti.

During our visit to her home, her daughter Eti shared with us their family history. Mrs. Shoshanna speaks no English, only Hebrew and French. Thus, she had asked her daughter to act as translator for us. We spend an hour with the family in their home to learn the details of the wonderful work they do.

Let me share with you what we learned during this visit.

History

The story starts with the husband of Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam. He grew up in Hebron. When he was a young boy there was a famine in the land. A lot of people in the land suffered from the shortage in food. This had such an impact on him, and he decided that he did not want anyone to go through this suffering again.

This young man married Shoshanna Miriam 65 years ago. She was born into a wealthy family in Morocco. She was taught by her parents to always help other people. He worked in a printing shop in Jerusalem and raised a happy family. They told us how often he would return from the shops with more food than what the family needed. They would then use the extra food to give to the surrounding people with need. It became known to the people surrounding them that whoever had need, could go to their house. If they asked for help they would not be turned away. The family had learned to always welcome guests to their home and to care for other people. Her husband passed away 9 years ago. Together with her children they continued with this wonderful work.

Shoshana_MiriamToday

Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam is today a ripe age of 83 years. When you meet her, you realize this lady is still active, and she thrives on interacting with people. She welcomed us all into her home and made us feel welcome.

It is from this small apartment in Jerusalem, where Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam, her daughter, and her grandchildren do their wonderful work. The family does the best they can to give to the needy families of Jerusalem. They offer these families whatever they may need. This is done with any money, clothing or other goods donated to them. Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam also helps the families that cannot afford a Brit Milah, Bar/Bat Mitzvah or wedding. They own wedding dresses that can be used for brides who cannot afford a wedding dress. Mrs. Shoshanna helps with the arrangements of the event and sometimes she would prepare a lot of the food on her own in the small kitchen of her apartment. All to make sure others also experience a blessed day.

Mrs. Shoshanna still uses her own apartment as storage space for all the clothes and bedding she receives. No big organization exists to support the work they do. She keeps her operation small to ensure all the help she receives goes to the people who need it.

Last year she even received recognition from the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barka, for the wonderful work she does for the people of Jerusalem.

How to help Shoshana_Miriam-3

Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam specifically told us she has no need, or wish, to become famous for the work she does. She does not wish to be the center of attention. But, we believe that this lady definitely deserves all the help she can get. We decided to help her as much as we can. By supporting her we make sure the people in Jerusalem who really need help, get it. All the money she receives goes directly to the people in need. She does not have big administrative expenses to cover. She has no paid staff, only family that help because they have been raised that way by a father/grandfather that Shoshana_Miriam-4has seen the blessing of helping others. They have no rent to pay for huge buildings or fancy new vehicles to finance. This widow continued what was important to her husband. Thus, by giving to her, we ensure that the money has an added value of providing for those around her as well.

We received her banking details from her. Should you wish to support her, please reach out to us via our “Contact Us” page for her banking details. If possible, please transfer money to her in Israeli Shekels, as it makes it a lot easier for her to get the money into her bank account. We have also discussed with her the option to open a Paypal account. We hope that this will soon be in place.

Conclusion

We are sure that there exists a lot more people like Mrs. Shoshanna Miriam and her family. It would be wonderful if all of us could support wonderful and effective ministries like these with our tithe money. Should you know of any more people like these, please share with us. Then we can try to help them by spreading the news of the wonderful things that they are doing.

Shalom!


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One response to “A lady that deserves some of your tithe”

  1. stephen

    Shabbat shalom Schalk and Elsa, thanks for sharing this great article! I am sorry we couldn’t get together in Jerusalem. My family would have loved to meet you and Mrs. Miriam. Will you be going to Jerusalem for Shavuot?

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