On Tuesday, May 15, 2018, communities across the United States will join together in dining at participating Kosher restaurants to feed hungry Israelis. 10% of proceeds will go toward funding Meir Panim‘s lifesaving work in Israel. 1.7 million Israelis live in poverty – and 800,000 of them are vulnerable children. Meir Panim’s projects include Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens, Meals-on-Wheels for the homebound, prepaid food shopping cards, school lunch programs, and after-school youth clubs.

For more than a decade, America Eats for Israel has been a groundbreaking show of solidarity with impoverished Israelis. Originally a Baltimore-based initiative led by students of Yeshivat Rambam and then Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, America Eats for Israel is now a national event.

“The Ner Tamid community has great memories of how America Eats for Israel has been bringing Baltimore together to support Israel,” said Rabbi Sam Wach, Youth Director of the Ner Tamid Youth and Scouts. “It is exciting to go from restaurant to restaurant on the day of the event and see the people excited to share a meal with family and friends, knowing that doing an ordinary thing such as ordering a sandwich or omelet is going to provide funds to people with real needs in Israel.”

Jewish students in multiple U.S. cities have recruited restaurants, are working hard to publicize the event, and are planning to ‘eat for Israel’ with their families and friends on May 15. “Knowing that we are helping our brothers and sisters in Israel makes the program even more important and meaningful,” said Josh Wiener, America Eats for Israel liaison and sophomore at Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway.

Participating schools and groups include Atlantic Seaboard NCSY, Beth El Hebrew School, Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, Krieger Schechter Day School, Ner Tamid Youth and Scouts, and Ohr Chadash Academy in Baltimore; Bruriah High School for Girls, Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, and Torah Academy of Bergen County in New Jersey; Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway and Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Long Island; and Yeshiva University High School for Boys (MTA) in New York City.

Rabbi Yaakov Blau of Torah Academy of Bergen County explained, “Torah Academy of Bergen County strives to impart in each of its talmidim [students] a sense of communal responsibility and a love for Eretz Yisrael [Israel]. America Eats for Israel offers the talmidim a unique opportunity to simultaneously fulfill each goal while enjoying themselves. We are proud to partner with Meir Panim in their mission to fight poverty in Israel.”

For more information on America Eats for Israel and for a list of participating restaurants in your area, please visit americaeatsforisrael.com