The Jewish Innovation
Hi! My name is Helene Bortz and I live in San Diego where I run “The Jewish Gift Closet”, a volunteer based nonprofit with my friend Myrice Goldberg.
I founded it a little over 5 years ago when the economic downturn severely impacted members of the Jewish Community.
We run a Distribution Center and administer an Emergency Fund that comes to the rescue of those who have no safety net when an emergency arises.
With the help of our fund, we have been able to assist 400 Jewish individuals and families who live below the poverty line, to cover their critical income shortfalls and emergency situations.
We honestly don’t know of any other organization that does what we do. If someone is going to be evicted, runs out of food, has their electricity cut off, we will step right in to come to their rescue.
We have furnished apartments in a couple of days when we encountered instances where people were sleeping on the floor lacking the most basic things.
We need your help to replenish our fund. 100% of your donations will go directly to those who need it most.
I founded it a little over 5 years ago when the economic downturn severely impacted members of the Jewish Community.
We run a Distribution Center and administer an Emergency Fund that comes to the rescue of those who have no safety net when an emergency arises.
With the help of our fund, we have been able to assist 400 Jewish individuals and families who live below the poverty line, to cover their critical income shortfalls and emergency situations.
We honestly don’t know of any other organization that does what we do. If someone is going to be evicted, runs out of food, has their electricity cut off, we will step right in to come to their rescue.
We have furnished apartments in a couple of days when we encountered instances where people were sleeping on the floor lacking the most basic things.
We need your help to replenish our fund. 100% of your donations will go directly to those who need it most.
The Impact
Tzedakah is the most basic tenet of Judaism and some say it is the highest commandment of all, equal to all of them combined. It is vital that we as Jews make sure to help those, who for reasons beyond their control, are unable to help themselves. If we are blessed with success, the best way to show our appreciation is to pay this success forward to those in need. The Jewish community must unite together to provide assistance to those less fortunate who lack the most basic life necessities, a roof over their head, food and clothing and who cannot cope with emergencies because they have no financial safety net and no one to turn to.
What Will You Do with the Money?
Our priority is to keep Jewish families in San Diego with a roof over their head and enough food when their food stamps run out. In addition we need money to help them with utilities, medical emergencies, gas and car repairs. We have in the past given teenagers refurbished computers for their schoolwork and we would like to expand this program.
We also need help with our newest program. The families we help have cars that are at breaking point, and when the car is beyond repair they are unable to drive to work, drive their kids to school, or even go grocery shopping, as they often live in low income remote areas, which are not well serviced by public transport. We would like to either help people pay for a low cost used car or subsidize monthly car payments, as the need for a car in San Diego is vital.
We also need help with our newest program. The families we help have cars that are at breaking point, and when the car is beyond repair they are unable to drive to work, drive their kids to school, or even go grocery shopping, as they often live in low income remote areas, which are not well serviced by public transport. We would like to either help people pay for a low cost used car or subsidize monthly car payments, as the need for a car in San Diego is vital.
