About Us
Mana Hama was founded in 2004, when unemployment in Israel, and especially in the port city of Ashdod, rose to an all-time high. Avi Amsalem was walking through the city one afternoon when suddenly a woman with f
our children asked him for a few shekels so that she could give her children a small bite to eat. Avi was shocked, and invited them into a nearby restaurant where they could have their fill to eat. As they all sat there, he asked the mother what she usually did every day. She responded that they had not eaten a hot meal in a long time.
The bitter truth became clear to Avi, as he realized that in his own city of Ashdod, Israel’s fifth poorest city, there were a great many people who could neither buy food nor fend for themselves. Assisted by several friends, Avi and the group organized daily hot meals for that family as well as for the Sabbath and holidays.
“As I am the namesake of our biblical patriarch Avraham, I try to emulate his practice of offering hospitality to all,” explains Avi Amsalem, “but I am not alone in this effort. We have a professional chef who volunteers each week, and women who come every day to serve and help. And, of course, our donors, without which we would not be able to provide the meals.” The drivers, packers and other volunteers form an essential part of the project.
It began with a small number of diners, but soon more people were approaching Avi for financial or emotional support. Now about 350 people eat a hot meal “served from the soul,” and many others receive help from the association in dealing with government offices, such as the Income Tax Authority and the Bailiffs Office. Demand for assistance is still rising.
Rabbis and public figures in Ashdod added their support to the local residents’ pleas, and the Mana Hama [“hot dish”] Association was formed to provide nourishing hot meals daily to people in need. Mana Hama delivers about 450 meals directly to people’s homes and about another 100 sandwiches to schoolchildren for lunch. About 300-350 people come to dine at the soup kitchen.
Although the administration of Mana Hama is haredi, the Association serves the entire population of Ashdod – needy widows and orphans, elderly Holocaust survivors, most over the age of 80, and new immigrants in dire financial straits. For many, this hot meal is their only meal of the day. Mana Hama is even open on Shabbat to help make it a real Sabbath for those in need of a hot meal.
“When I just look at the people who come to eat with us, people who could be our grandparents, and I see people coming together, I feel that we are like one big family.” Help is extended to all who are needy, regardless of their religious practices.
On the eve of every Rosh Hodesh, the beginning of the Hebrew month, and every holiday, the Mana Hama Association delivers about 600 gift baskets directly to people’s homes so that they can celebrate the occasion joyfully, with basic products and sweets, bringing a smile to their faces.
Not only does Mana Hama provide hot meals for the needy, but it addresses the basic problems of get
ting out of the vicious cycle of poverty by assisting the unemployed to integrate into the working world or to volunteer in hospitals to reinforce their self-esteem.
Mana Hama’s vision is to change the current perception of poverty and social policy in the State of Israel. We believe that no person wants to be dependent on the charity of others. When we have faith in an individual’s own abilities, and provide the assistance for a person to stand on one’s own feet, we feel that this is the best way, the right way to preserve each individual’s human dignity.
Write for further information and to send contributions to Mana Hama Association, 7 Herzog Street, Ashdod. Mana Hama is a registered not-for-profit charitable institution. It fulfills all requirements of proper management and bookkeeping requirements as required by a registered association.
We welcome visitors to our kitchens, and all contributions of time and money are welcome.
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