Friends of Yad Sarah Blog

Every year, Friends of Yad Sarah raises money to send Purim baskets to the isolated and homebound in Israel, hand-delivered by volunteers.  For many recipients, it is their only moment of Purim celebration and truly lights up their lives.  They feel remembered, cherished and included.   This year, generous friends in the USA spread joy to the homebound and isolated in the Beersheva area by sponsoring over 150 Purim baskets.    Purim is a time of charity, miracles and Jewish unity. What better way to be a part of these ideas than giving Mishloach Manot to Israel’s lonely and vulnerable?

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced two grants totaling $1.5 million to Yad Sarah for two projects that will expand access to healthcare for residents of Israel’s periphery. The first grant for $750,000 will support the expansion of Yad Sarah’s Home Hospital program in Israel’s southern periphery. The second grant, also for $750,000, will support the expansion of Yad Sarah’s mobile dental clinics to homebound elderly and disabled people in Israel’s northern and southern peripheries who cannot access affordable dental care. Yad Sarah has pledged to raise a matching sum to assure unsurpassed service to the residents of the periphery. Yad Sarah’s Home Hospital program provides equipment and services for patients at home. Started as a pilot program in 2014, the Home Hospital program has distributed thousands of electric beds, patient hoists, and other related equipment to patients seeking home-based recuperation and rehabilitation. With the Helmsley Charitable...

Yad Sarah announced the opening of a Family Center in the western Negev to treat victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. It is the second location for the program, which has been widely recognized for its success in addressing the complexities and sensitivities of domestic violence. “We work very closely with community leadership to address this issue in all of its complexities,” said Dr. Shlomit Lehman, who directs the Center. “There is a huge need for these services, which is why we were asked to open another center to serve people in the south, many of whom also suffer from the trauma and disruptions of the ongoing Gaza conflict.” The organization’s Family Center in Jerusalem, which operates out of the Yad Sarah House, has been successful in empowering women, men and children to cope with abuse and heal from the trauma and pain of domestic abuse. The new location will open...

A plan is in place to expand the Netanya branch, bringing additional Yad Sarah services to the Netanya community and enabling expansion of existing programs.   Located in a residential neighborhood, the branch will be building up, adding a third floor and planning for a possible fourth floor in the future.   For the Day Rehabilitation Program, the renovation will enable the program to increase the number of participants and involve more volunteers, broaden the range of therapeutic activities, and enable life-enriching social contact.  We plan to increase the capacity of the Lending Service, insuring that volunteers have the resources they need to assist others and provide more space for Yad Sarah's Exhibition Center, helping people understand the options for adaptive equipment and providing guidance on community resources.   The renovation will also add a second elevator to facilitate access for people with special needs.  Office space will be designated for...

Yad Sarah is raising funds to complete a state-of-the art upgrade to our Play Center – a safe space for carefree play for hundreds of Israel's children with special needs. We have already secured more than half of the funds necessary to realize our vision for the Play Center. We just need to raise $15,000 more. A generous donor is willing to match every donation we receive for this project between now and #GivingTuesday, November 29th. This #GivingTuesday, unleash the power of play. Give Israel's children with special needs a place where they can thrive. Donate Now!  

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the USA) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

Launched in 1976, Yad Sarah is celebrating its 40th year of providing vital health and home care support services to people of all ages in Israel.  Although Yad Sarah is best known for its extensive Lending Service for medical equipment, the organization's volunteers also provide in-home geriatric dental care, reach out to the homebound, staff our Play Center for children with special needs, and advocate for the elderly at risk for abuse and financial exploitation.   Click on this photo to learn more about the growth of Yad Sarah over the years!

The Family Center is a program at Yad Sarah for the treatment and prevention of domestic violence. According to a recent report by a leading Israeli women’s organization, approximately 200,000 women in Israel are victims of domestic violence. The report noted that over the past year, 7,335 women were treated in 89 centers for domestic violence across the country and that some 600,000 children have witnessed domestic violence.[1] More than 15 years ago, Dr. Shlomit Lehman, an experienced therapist with a professional background in treating couples and families affected by domestic violence, approached Yad Sarah with the idea of creating an initiative to help address domestic violence in the haredi community, which had no therapeutic options specifically designed around their needs and beliefs. Dr. Lehman sought to create a program for members of haredi couples and families which would take into account the unique attributes of haredi society, cooperate closely with an...

Happy 100th birthday to Yehuda Losky, Yad Sarah's oldest volunteer!    At a time when many older people have slowed down, become ill and infirm and are dependent on support services, Yehuda has no plans to retire.  His story is a story of positive aging, remaining active and engaged with the community well into late-life.  "All my life, I have helped people, and as long as I am able to stand on my own two feet, I will continue to do it.  Everybody can volunteer" he said. For the past 27 years, Yehuda can be found every Wednesday at the organization's multi-service center in Rishon LeZion, repairing wheelchairs and other equipment and helping to ensure these items are ready for loan to the next recipient.  He is the "go to" guy for equipment repairs, helping other volunteers and providing guidance in the busy repair shop.  He arrives early on Fridays --...

Yad Riva was developed in response to the needs of older people overwhelmed by problems late in life. When the elderly are confronted with legal issues, they are frequently overcome by feelings of despair, helplessness, and anxiety. A range of legal problems may face an older person: abuse, money and property concerns, and family conflicts. Yad Riva also helps clients understand and access entitlements like improved health care and adequate living accommodations, all of which has a significant impact on the clients’ quality of life. Due to the high cost of legal representation, disability, health circumstances, intimidation, and/or language limitations, many older people do not have the necessary means to access their rights. Yad Riva exists to provide an essential service that is out of reach for poor older adults in Israel, including people suffering from elder abuse. Yad Riva’s services are provided at no cost to the client. By providing...

Yad Sarah has 12 branches located within hospitals to make it easier for patients and families to borrow equipment upon discharge.   In recent news reports, the issue of hospital overcrowding in Israel is heating up, with noted experts decrying the shift of responsibility for medical care from the government to non-governmental organizations.  This puts pressure on Yad Sarah and its hospital-based branches to help prepare people for a safe transition from in-patient care to home.  A successful transition leads to low rates of readmission, is more comfortable and healthier for the patient and family, and is more cost-effective for the state.  Trained volunteers at Yad Sarah's branch at Rambam Medical Center have helped this branch to become an integral part of the discharge planning at Haifa’s largest regional medical center. “We [Yad Sarah] help people to get out of the hospital easier and faster,” explained volunteer branch manager Nurit Zinger....

Yad Sarah’s Home Hospital Program creates an alternative to both long and short-term hospitalization through the provision of equipment tailored to the particular needs of each patient. The program enables individuals to be “hospitalized at home” under the care of family members, whether they are in hospice or suffer from chronic or even short-term illness. The program allows patients, especially those suffering from end stage and chronic illnesses, to remain in the far more dignified and empathic environment of their home; enables them to avoid the risk of hospital sourced infection and generates substantial savings in medical costs.  Participants pay a modest maintenance fee after 3 months.  Yad Sarah staff members visit the homes of participants to check on the maintenance of the equipment and assess for other support services that may be needed.   

Join us on Sunday June 26th at 10am at Lakeshore Drive Synagogue for an inside look at Israel advocacy at the United Nations. Guest speaker Hadas Meitzad, Counsellor for Political Affairs, Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations.   RSVP:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Check out this new article on JNS.org about Yad Sarah's unique Geriatric Dentistry program, providing state-of-the-art care for Israel's impoverished elderly.   Read more about it here.  

Once again this year, the volunteers of Yad Sarah Beersheva plan to distribute Purim gift baskets to the homebound – the elderly, the sick and the disabled.  More than 200 recipients are on the list for this holiday gift and visit; the Purim gift baskets are made possible by the financial support of the Beersheva community, generous friends in the USA and the many volunteers who give of their time to make these special deliveries.  For many of the recipients – this will be a rare meeting with someone who will help them forget their loneliness (even temporarily) and bring a smile to their faces. For Purim, Chana was surprised to find herself delivering a gift to a former volunteer. He had worked at the original Yad Sarah headquarters in Jerusalem, and here he was now, in need of the same assistance that he had once provided for others.  Yehudit, another volunteer, made her...

A pilot program has been launched at the Modiin multi-service center. This program pairs young adults with special needs with Yad Sarah equipment repair volunteers, enabling the young people to learn new skills in a warm and supportive environment.

Yad Sarah turns 40!  In 2016 Yad Sarah will be celebrating its 40th anniversary! Yad Sarah began with a lending center in a small apartment in Jerusalem and has grown to Israel's largest volunteer staffed organization, helping over 420,000 people annually. We want to hear your Yad Sarah story! Tell us about how Yad Sarah has helped you or a loved one in the past 40 years via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or even snail mail! Use the hashtag #YadSarahTurns40 on social media.

Shop Online? Go to smile.amazon.com and select Friends of Yad Sarah as your charitable organization. Your purchases will help Yad Sarah every time you shop, at no cost to you!

When times are tense, older people feel especially vulnerable. Many are afraid to leave the safety of their homes. Yad Sarah's Emergency Alarm Response Service is a lifeline for them. On average, emergency alarm operators field more than 1,000 calls per month, many of them requiring immediate access to police and urgent medical care.To see how Yad Sarah is helping people every day, visit our Facebook Page.

More than a half-million people in Israel were helped by Yad Sarah in 5775. The steepest rise was in requests for home care from Yad Sarah's home hospital project, which had a 30% increase from last year. The home hospital project allows patients to come home from the hospital earlier, so they can rest and recover in the comfort of their own homes with their families.Top items borrowed from Yad Sarah branches in 5775 were wheelchairs, bath chairs, and breast milk pumps for nursing mothers.A new branch in Yerucham, in Israel's Negev region, opened in 5775.Here's to good health and independence in 5776!