Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A Life for a Life

We learn in the Torah that we are commanded to give "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot..." (Exodus 21:24). Usually it is a form of punishment and justice.

Well, on Sunday morning, I witnessed a different kind act of justice - A Life for a Life.
Our friend Max celebrated his 70th birthday at a surprise party for friends and relatives.
Max was a child of the Holocaust - born in 1941 in Holland.
To escape the Nazi Death Machine, Max's parents turned him over to the partisans, who passed him along from family to family until he was raised by a loving non-Jewish couple who had no children of their own.
Max's mother had sewn a Magen David (Star of David) into his clothing, and through this piece of cloth, she was ablve to identify him after the war.
Now that Max is celebrating his 70th birthday, his children watned to repay a Life for a Life, and they decided that in lieu of gifts, they'd like guests to contribute to EFRAT, http://www.efrat.info/, an organization that saves the lives of children whose mothers want to abort them.
B"H, a loving Dutch couple gave Max his life, and his children wnat to help other children live.
Efrat was a very appropriate charity for Max's children to choose - especially since it was founded by another Holocaust survivor. Their website states, "When Mr. Herschel Feigenbaum arrived in Israel after surviving the Holocaust, he understood that our children are our future. In memory of the over one and a half million Jewish children who perished, Mr. Feigenbaum founded EFRAT, to increase the Jewish birthrate in Israel."
Thus far, EFRAT has saved the lives of 44,000 babies. They continue their support once the baby is born. In 2009, they distributed 2,822 cribs, 3,425 stroller, 66,940 diapers, 2,835 baby baths, 3,858 baby kits, 27,868 can of baby formal and 4,215 monthly food packages to needy families.
Of course, it all comes down to dollars and "sense". A baby's life can be saved for $1,200!
We'd like to wish Max a happy birthday. Even if you don't know him, you can still save the life of an unborn child. Contact efrat@efrat.org.il .

No comments:

Post a Comment