Barkai Center's rabbis feed the housebound in Modi’in during coronavirus

Though food distribution, certainly not of this magnitude and under these circumstances, is not what Barkai rabbis normally do, they felt they had to step up and take the project on.

By DANIELLA HELLERSTEIN
Barkai rabbis delivering food to the homebound in Modi'in (photo credit: Courtesy)
Barkai rabbis delivering food to the homebound in Modi'in
(photo credit: Courtesy)
One of the consequences of our new coronavirus reality is the need to wear different hats than we wear in our usual routine. Parents are now school teachers, those who leave the house for work are now working from home and everyone is scrambling to adapt to the situation. Community rabbis are no exception.
The Barkai Center for Practical Rabbinics trains Israeli rabbis as community rabbis with an emphasis on pastoral skills. But for the past few weeks the Modi’in rabbis enrolled in the Barkai program have not been in the classroom or the synagogue (although they are very busy leading their congregations via phone and Zoom).
Instead, they have been tasked with leading a critical mission on the streets of Modi’in. Wearing neon yellow vests, masks and gloves, the local rabbis are working round the clock to organize food deliveries to Modi’in residents advised not to leave their homes – those who are older than 65 or have underlying health issues.
Rabbis David Fine and Shlomo Sobol, founders and deans of Barkai, were approached by Modi’in social services at the outbreak of the coronavirus. The city needed an efficient way to reach the at-risk residents in each of Modi’in’s 13 neighborhoods. Since Barkai has a network of its graduates leading synagogues in each neighborhood, it seemed they would best be able to spearhead the city-wide initiative.
Though food distribution, certainly not of this magnitude and under these circumstances, is not what Barkai rabbis normally do, according to Fine, they felt they had to step up and take the project on. Each rabbi put a call out for volunteers in his neighborhood. Several hundred residents immediately came forward.
The rabbis then assigned each neighborhood a team leader who collects the food packages from the social services building and meets his or her group of volunteers at a more local pick up point. Those volunteers bring the food packages to the residents’ doors. Volunteers carry travel permits from the city, wear protective gear and are careful to place the package at the door rather than hand it to the recipient. Food is delivered every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Hadas Mizrachi leads the Masua neighborhood team. She has been an active volunteer in Modi’in for the past four years. She already leads a team of volunteers who deliver weekly Shabbat meals to needy families. When the call went out to help the population most affected by coronavirus, she answered right away. Giving back to the community is important to Hadas, who was at one point on the receiving end of hessed. In 2014 while she and her family drove to relatives in Kiryat Arba for Passover, terrorists shot at their car, killing her husband, Baruch Mizrachi and injuring Hadas (she still suffers pain from the bullets lodged in her back).
The four children were thankfully unharmed. Baruch had held a high position in the army and then the police force and, according to Hadas, used his spare time to volunteer.
After the tragedy, the community provided much needed help to Hadas and her children. Two years later, Hadas felt she was capable of giving back, which she does now tirelessly through several organizations including the new Barkai initiative.
From the perspective of the municipality, the city’s partnership with Barkai is a huge success. Marina Sadeh, head of the Social Services Department for Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, explained that they receive the meals, fruits and vegetables and other necessities but it is the Barkai volunteers who take over from there.
According to her, the manpower, the spirit, the personal attention to the recipients and the seamless distribution is due to the organization. No other organization could have managed this project as efficiently because only Barkai has a presence in each neighborhood.With the huge success of the food deliveries, Barkai opened a hotline for Modi’in, staffed by volunteers.
The hotline takes calls from residents who need someone to buy their medication and other essential items. Although the service is only available to Modi’in residents, calls are coming in from throughout the country. Clearly there is a need and the Barkai team is working hard to meet it. Another new hat in an ever-changing reality.