Chanukah 2020 begins on Thursday night, the 10th of December, a time of year that is usually marked by celebrations with family and friends, has never been met with more uncertainty for Israel’s needy.  Since the beginning of COVID-19, the loss of jobs and the economic downturn in Israel has been well documented. Each of the two lockdowns has intensified the financial difficulties, and now, with the rate of infection in...

Every day, Meir Panim sends out hundreds of packaged meals to the needy from its five Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchen branches across Israel. Since COVID-19, most of these meals get prepared and packaged on-site by Meir Panim volunteers, but once in a while, it’s nice to be treated to something special.  Last week, Dan Koweity, a long time volunteer and supporter of Meir Panim, made a special gift for the speedy recovery ...

With Israel currently riding out its second wave of COVID-19, the country remains under strict guidelines which prohibit indoor gatherings and schools from reopening in person. While operating under these restrictions has certainly been a challenge for Meir Panim’s Neighborhood Youth Centers, the center’s staff have come up with creative ways to safely engage its teens under these unprecedented circumstances. With schools closed, the function of our Neighborhoo...

Israel is slowly opening up from a state of lockdown. Schools are beginning to reopen and some Israelis are finally returning to work. The unemployment rate is still high at nearly 23%, but there is hope that things will improve for the better. Meir Panim is still serving three times more clients than they did pre-pandemic. Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchen staff and volunteers are working around the clock in order to ensur...

Just as Israel was settling in to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the country entered a mandatory lockdown due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. And as a result, schools and stores closed, leaving many in quarantine and at home alone. In Sderot, Meir Panim’s Neighborhood Youth Center staff gathered together and offered their students an opportunity to make their days more productive while they waited for schools to resume. Instead of the usual activities, which normally include large gatherings,...

For most teenagers, the hardest thing about being in isolation is not being able to visit friends and family. But for the at-risk youth in Sderot, being in isolation has a completely different meaning. The Neighborhood Youth Center has been a resource for helping the at-risk teens manage the difficulties and hardships in their lives. Through the mentoring they receive, they learn to work through their problems by learni...

The Meir Panim Branches are always busy during the Holiday season. This year with the coronavirus pandemic spiraling out of control, our Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens have been busier than ever before!  This holiday season, our staff and volunteers have been working from sunrise to sunset in order to meet the ever-growing demand for meals. Additionally, because of the second lockdown in Israel, many Israelis are limite...

As we began the High Holiday season, Meir Panim was busy packaging and preparing thousands of meals to deliver to needy families all over Israel. With Coronavirus cases at a record high, the country went into another full lockdown. With so many people unemployed, our Branch managers, staff and volunteers were working overtime each day to ensure everyone that was in need of a Holiday package received one.

Meir Panim’s ...