A Letter from the Founders
We are Americans who have lived in Israel for almost thirteen years. Married nine years, we live in the center of Jerusalem with our five precious children. Our home is located in a small, Yiddish-speaking walled community, which itself is part of the very hip, artsy neighborhood of Nachlaot. Yom Tov teaches and counsels at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem's Old City. Leah teaches and counsels privately. Our home is a central point in Jerusalem for people from many varied walks of life.
Privileged to live amongst Israelis, we are about as integrated into their world as a westerner could get. We have a beautiful relationship with the native people of Jerusalem, known better as Yerushalmis, and have come to share closely in their happiness and their pain.
Thus, when the Intifada in the year 2000 threatened Jerusalem's physical, emotional, and financial well-being, we were inclined to do what we could to help our beloved brethren. We founded The Family of Israel Fund as a "first aid" measure in bringing some immediate relief to the anguish that many families were facing.
Two years later, we had to confront the fact that our sustaining these families was not enabling them to rebuild their lives, rather they remained dependant on our monthly assistance. Our dream was to inspire the people of Jerusalem to strive once again, and through this dream, the Jerusalem Sewing Cooperative came to be.
The success of the JSC has shown us that when darkness threatens to overcome the world, following our dreams can create a beautiful light. We hope you'll join us in actualizing the dream.
With blessings,
Rabbi Yom Tov and Leah Glaser