Last May we shared the story of House to House, a small Israeli organization that provides for the needs of many elderly people in Jerusalem. In that diary entry we explained that Darla Oz, House to House’s founder, had visited a former hotel which now houses elderly survivors who rarely celebrate birthdays. We immediately committed funds to provide the elders with some treats on their birthdays. When Darla wrote a few months ago asking if we could possibly help her with birthday cards we knew just where to go. Within a short time we had contacted teachers at several religious and day schools across the country and asked if they could help.

Before long, packets of cards started to appear and we have been forwarding them on to Darla in Israel who is placing one in each birthday gift. We thought you would enjoy seeing the work of students at the Rashi School in Boston who, under the guidance of their amazing teacher, Stephanie Rotsky, the school’s social justice coordinator, produced some pretty amazing cards that would make even Hallmark a bit jealous!

We thank all of the schools that responded to our appeal and look forward to providing birthday cards for these elders, hopefully, for many years to come!