Poverty in Jerusalem 2008
I know what its like to be hungry, and poor. I know how desperation can make a person forget their feelings of shame. I know that a person in distress can superficially hide their pride, in their body language or mannerisms. I also know that only someone who has God-given compassion, been hungry, homeless, emotionally crippled or destitute at some point in his life can truly comprehend the full meaning of poverty.
Recently I read a report by Nadav Shragai, an Israeli correspondent who writes for The Haaretz newspaper. His report echo’s the stark reality of what is happening on the ground in Jerusalem in January 2008.
“A statistical report of Jerusalem published 17th January, 08 shows that over half of the city's children live below the poverty line.
The yearly report, published by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) and the Jerusalem Municipality, indicates that 56 percent of the capital's children and 33 percent of the city's families were living in poverty in 2007”.
There are many words that come to mind when you think about Jerusalem. Holy, golden, eternal, united, divided, glorious, ancient etc these are the words that would pop into the minds of most lovers of Jerusalem. But the word empovrished would be one of the last words that would come to mind. To truly love Jerusalem, at least the one of today, you have to embrace the heart of what this city is all about, and that is it’s people. Jew,Arab,Christian,foreigner- - poverty attacks them all stalking them, demeaning them, causing them to lose heart, first in themselves and then in their fellow man.They begin to believe that no one cares.
I am fortunate, in the past I tasted hard times, and sadly found myself living from hand to mouth, waiting on hand outs from others and wondering how I could feed my children,just as many of Jerusalem’s residents are doing today. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and I am blessed from time to time to be able to visit some of the soup kitchens in Jerusalem and distribute gifts of money sent to me by generous and compassionate people. This past week I went to one of the most most frequented soup kitchens which sits next to the central bus station in Jerusalem. I was there at 10 am just as the kitchen staff was breaking for coffee and getting ready to begin their day. I knocked on the door and let myself in, at first they thought I was looking for a hot meal and they told me to come back at 12. I laughted, feeling awkard and explained I was there to give a donation. Their whole mood changed and soon I found myself being plied with hot coffee with introductions all round. All four men, 2 Arabs and 2 Jews, have been working together in the kitchen for years. I began to ask them questions immediately, knowing that if I didn’t take the initiative, they would soon be bombarding me with theirs.
How many people do you feed every day ? For years it used to be 150 – 180, but over the past few years the numbers keep growing, and now we feed anything from 300 – 500 every day.
What kind of people come in to eat ? Used to be the homeless and the unemployed, now its families, single mothers, fathers who don’t want their families to know they are going through hard times, and even teenagers.
Who decides on the menu every day ? We count the money, wait for people to drop off food, and then we make up the menu. We always do soup ,a meat dish and rice or couscous.
When do you feel the most helpless ? When we see the food running out and there are still people standing in the line outside.
Who helps you the most ? Every end of year we get big donations from business people wanting a tax write off, but we don’t consider them our real donors. The real donors are people like you, the no bodys. The ones who have tasted poverty and now that things have changed, you return the kindness. You are our best marketers and our best fund-raisers. We would not exist without you. You turned your shame, into action, and we are open today because of your donation and many other donations just like yours.
I finished my coffee, received hugs from all four workers and with my receipt in hand, walked out the kitchen door. Funny thing is the donation I gave them was not that big, but they made me feel like I had just given them a million dollars.
Psalm 33: 18 – 22 “Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in his mercy.
To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine .
Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
because we have trusted in His Holy name.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in you.”
Recently I read a report by Nadav Shragai, an Israeli correspondent who writes for The Haaretz newspaper. His report echo’s the stark reality of what is happening on the ground in Jerusalem in January 2008.
“A statistical report of Jerusalem published 17th January, 08 shows that over half of the city's children live below the poverty line.
The yearly report, published by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) and the Jerusalem Municipality, indicates that 56 percent of the capital's children and 33 percent of the city's families were living in poverty in 2007”.
There are many words that come to mind when you think about Jerusalem. Holy, golden, eternal, united, divided, glorious, ancient etc these are the words that would pop into the minds of most lovers of Jerusalem. But the word empovrished would be one of the last words that would come to mind. To truly love Jerusalem, at least the one of today, you have to embrace the heart of what this city is all about, and that is it’s people. Jew,Arab,Christian,foreigner- - poverty attacks them all stalking them, demeaning them, causing them to lose heart, first in themselves and then in their fellow man.They begin to believe that no one cares.
I am fortunate, in the past I tasted hard times, and sadly found myself living from hand to mouth, waiting on hand outs from others and wondering how I could feed my children,just as many of Jerusalem’s residents are doing today. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and I am blessed from time to time to be able to visit some of the soup kitchens in Jerusalem and distribute gifts of money sent to me by generous and compassionate people. This past week I went to one of the most most frequented soup kitchens which sits next to the central bus station in Jerusalem. I was there at 10 am just as the kitchen staff was breaking for coffee and getting ready to begin their day. I knocked on the door and let myself in, at first they thought I was looking for a hot meal and they told me to come back at 12. I laughted, feeling awkard and explained I was there to give a donation. Their whole mood changed and soon I found myself being plied with hot coffee with introductions all round. All four men, 2 Arabs and 2 Jews, have been working together in the kitchen for years. I began to ask them questions immediately, knowing that if I didn’t take the initiative, they would soon be bombarding me with theirs.
How many people do you feed every day ? For years it used to be 150 – 180, but over the past few years the numbers keep growing, and now we feed anything from 300 – 500 every day.
What kind of people come in to eat ? Used to be the homeless and the unemployed, now its families, single mothers, fathers who don’t want their families to know they are going through hard times, and even teenagers.
Who decides on the menu every day ? We count the money, wait for people to drop off food, and then we make up the menu. We always do soup ,a meat dish and rice or couscous.
When do you feel the most helpless ? When we see the food running out and there are still people standing in the line outside.
Who helps you the most ? Every end of year we get big donations from business people wanting a tax write off, but we don’t consider them our real donors. The real donors are people like you, the no bodys. The ones who have tasted poverty and now that things have changed, you return the kindness. You are our best marketers and our best fund-raisers. We would not exist without you. You turned your shame, into action, and we are open today because of your donation and many other donations just like yours.
I finished my coffee, received hugs from all four workers and with my receipt in hand, walked out the kitchen door. Funny thing is the donation I gave them was not that big, but they made me feel like I had just given them a million dollars.
Psalm 33: 18 – 22 “Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in his mercy.
To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine .
Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
because we have trusted in His Holy name.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in you.”
posted by Christine | 2:28 PM
1 Comments:
Your words evoke both sadness and hope.Only an individual who has been through poverty really understands it. Who would have thought that Jerusalem had fallen so low. You are uniquely positioned to keep us informed. Keep up the great work!
Many thanks.
Echan Deravy
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