Date: Sunday, June 5th

Time: 18:30-21:30 

Place: The Maor Shul (Nachal HaMaor 6, Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef), HaRav Danny Myers Shlita

Wide variety of unique gifts for Shavuot, including handmade jewelry, Judaica, handmade glass artwork, flowers, housewares AND MORE! All businesses, artists and vendors at this event continue to receive assistance of all forms by JobKatif’s rehabilitative employment services.

Don’t miss this special opportunity!

When looking for gifts this year, look for the unique. Look for values-added businesses. Buy from businesses assisted by JobKatif.

For more information, please call the JobKatif office Sundays-Thursdays 9-5pm at 072-212-7125 or email ariella@jobkatif.org.

You are Not Alone: An Open Letter to the Evacuated Citizens of Mississippi , Louisiana & Missouri

By Judy Lowy

My heart reaches out to you, the residents of Mississippi, Louisiana, and now, Missouri, who, due to circumstances beyond your control, have lost your homes, farms, communities and in many cases, your sources of livelihood. As director of JobKatif, a humanitarian non-profit organization that helps the displaced residents of former Gush Katif and Northern Samaria, I can truly relate to the trauma of losing your homes and communities.

If you recall, while Hurricane Katrina was ravaging your communities back in 2005, the Israeli government decided to remove 1,900 families from their homes in the southern region of Israel. This region, called “Gush Katif”, was located in the Gaza Strip. An additional two hundred families were removed from their homes in four communities in an area called Northern Samaria. The 23 communities that were demolished had been developing these areas for over thirty years. In total, about 1,900 families– mostly farmers and small business owners—lost their homes and sources of livelihood.

Take time to mourn and find support, says Lowy.

Looking back in retrospect, I realize that governments need to make tough decisions all the time and sometimes, they sacrifice 2,000 families in a quest to bring security to 10,000,000 people.  Sometimes they decide to open waterways and flood entire communities in an attempt to save a city.  These difficult decisions involve lots of discussion and appear on as the front page headlines for a week or two, but then they fade into oblivion while the sacrificial families are left to pick up the pieces and rebuild their shattered lives.

Of course, our circumstances were different than yours, but the implications are the same, and so I’d like to share some insights I’ve gained in the past six years of trying to rebuild.

I realize that you’ve lost more than your homes this past week.  You’ve lost your stability, your past, and your future. You’ve lost the church where you got married, where your children were baptized. Like the population of Gush Katif, your crops are gone, but your creditors are not. Your mortgage payments still need to be paid even though your house is completely ruined. You may have sick children who still need care, but now you can’t get to your doctor. Your elderly parents may still need your attention, but you’re no longer living around the block from them.

Here are some helpful points that I’d like to share:

1. Sympathy I am so sorry this happened to you.  The pain of losing everything in a moment is devastating. You didn’t “deserve it” and it is absolutely terrible.

2. Mourn In Jewish tradition, we have a period called shiva, which means seven.  Give yourself seven days to mourn and remember everything that you lost.  Don’t worry about dealing with the banks or the insurance companies for a week.  It will take them that long to figure out what they are doing anyway.  Give yourself a week to be with your family and regroup yourself.

3. Don’t Look Back After that week is up, for your own good and the welfare of your families, I urge you to look forward, not backwards. You must rebuild your lives.  You may think you don’t have the strength, but I know you can find it. You have it within you.

4. Watch out for hidden angels. Know that from this tragedy, goodness will emerge.  When you feel like you can’t go on, you will see that goodness will come your way.  Hold on for it and it will arrive.  If you are a person of faith, cling to your faith.

5. Get a Job At JobKatif, we have worked with thousands of people like you– hardworking, good people who suddenly lost the structure to their lives.  I have seen them fall into depression, gain 30 pounds, spend their entire day in front of the computer, suffer heart attacks. The list goes on and on. The first step in rebuilding your lives is to find a job.  It doesn’t matter if you have a permanent place to live. Go find something to do and do it.  If you can’t find a job in your field, do something else.  If you can’t find any job at all, go volunteer just for the sake of being productive. This will create opportunities for you, and will ultimately help you succeed.

The Disengagement was six years ago. That has given me a lot of perspective. I can tell you with certainty, that the people who have made it through are the ones who got out of bed every day, and made their lives productive. They are the ones who didn’t wait until they received their compensation money from the government. They are the ones who used their tragedy as an opportunity to turn their dormant hobbies into new businesses.  Six years after the Disengagement, these same broken people, are artists and business people and teachers. They are building new lives. They are building new homes. They are making an impact on society.  The road has been hard and JobKatif has helped them, but they have done the work. I bless you to find this strength within yourself.  May God bless you and your families.  Please know that you are not alone.

Judy Lowy is the Executive Director of JobKatif, the only organization helping the former residents of Gush Katif and Northern Samaria find employment.  She can be reached at judy@jobkatif.org

The farmers, ranging in age between 41 and 62, all had successful agricultural businesses in Gush Katif. They earned respectable salaries and supported their families. Ever since, only a few found jobs in other industries.

The goal of the course, “Winemaking and Managing Boutique Wineries”, led by MATI in cooperation with JobKatif, aims to give the technological, marketing and financial tools to open a small winery.

This initiative is not the first time JobKatif has sponsored a group-retraining course. In the past 5 1/2 years, JobKatif has sent groups of job-seekers from Gush Katif to other courses such as tour guiding, coaching, and small business management. In total, JobKatif has helped more than 2,000 unemployed job seekers from Gush Katif find jobs and re-integrate into the workforce.

“The more time that goes by, the harder it is to re-integrate the unemployed back into the workforce. These are industrious, ambitious businesspeople who love nature, have a good business sense, and used to earn a respectable income. It’s been a tough five and half years, but we are pleased to help these former farmers find a professional outlet, such as the winemaking course,” says Judy Lowy, Executive Director of JobKatif.

Almost six years after the Disengagement, and JobKatif remains the ONLY entity actively working to solve the employment crisis amongst the families of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron.

In response to JobKatif’s success, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office has agreed to match all donations with 3 shekels for every shekel donated.

Part of the article states:

“The former head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ra’anan Dinur, said …“The successful experience of JobKatif proves that a non-governmental organization who knows the relevant population and works according to its special needs, is much more effective in finding solutions to the employment problems of the expelled than any governmental office.”

For the full article in Hebrew, click here.

For the English version of the article, click here.

20 Vendors formerly from Gush Katif & Northern Shomron

Come help these artisans support themselves & their families!

Items for Sale:  Housewares,  kitchen & cookware, jewelry, beautiful Judaica, unique decorative glass art, framed pictures, disposable goods, and more!

A handmade glass seder plate by Gush Katif artist Etti Moshe.

When: Sunday, April 10th / Sale starts at 15:00

Location:Beit Knesset Ohel Ari, Rechov Ravutsky 98, Ra’anana

Call Heidi Surasky for more info: 052-702-2134

A Special Pre-Pesach Sale & Shiur

Featuring vendors formerly from Gush Katif

Come help these Artisans Support Themselves & their Families

Items for Sale: Jewelry, beautiful Judaica, unique decorative glass art, framed pictures, disposable goods, and more!

A handmade glass seder plate by Gush Katif artist Etti Moshe.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

At Home of Ruthie & Tony Thwaites

8 Zerubavel Street, Baka, Jerusalem (off of Reuven & Derech Beit Lechem)

Sale begins at 7:00 pm

Special Shiur at 8:00 pm sharp (in Hebrew) on Pesach Haggaddah by Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon

Refreshments served.

For more info please call 054-307-7459 or 054-630-3700.

A Message from Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon

In light of the tragic incidents this past Shabbat, I join the staff of JobKatif and all of Am Yisrael, in mourning the untimely and cruel deaths of the Udi & Ruth, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel of Itamar, Israel.

A gift basket will be sent to your student abroad.  Please note the basket will arrive before Purim.  For more information, contact Jacob at purim@jobkatif.org

To download the order form, press Here

Artistic talents range in media, including glass-work, jewelry making, Judaica, painting, ceramics, photography, design and more.

One of the most effective methods that our supporters have given these families parnasa is by hosting home-based or community-based fairs featuring ceramics, handmade glassware, cosmetics, spice packages, gorgeous jewlery, art, and more created by incredible people who were removed from their homes.

See this gallery for examples of their fine work:

We turn to you, especially those supporters who live in Israel, to host a sale. You will be dazzled by the artwork, and inspired by the stories that led these artists to express themselves creatively.

Contact info@jobkatif.org to set a date for your sale.