MK Rabbi Uri Maklev, the Deputy Chairman of the Knesset, [the Israeli Parliament], came this week for a special tour of the new “Hasdei Naomi” Organization centre in Jerusalem. Thus, Rabbi Maklev could take in the extent and the type of activity managed by this great charity empire, expanding also in Jerusalem.
The chairman of the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization Rabbi Yossef Cohen together with the Jerusalem staff and volunteers received Rabbi Maklev with affability and visited with him all around the new centre, which had been inaugurated half a year ago, for the benefit of Jerusalem needy families. Rabbi Maklev was amazed by the quantities of fruit and vegetables, and by the diversity of the food products packed by the volunteers and distributed to families from all walks of the Jerusalem population.
MK Rabbi Maklev underlined his amazement and said “Only when the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization opened a new branch here, did Jerusalem become whole. Now thanks to this charity, Jerusalem has become complete and this is how we shall attain the built up Jerusalem”. Rabbi Maklev added that the advantage of the “Hasdei Naomi” Charity Organization activity does not end with the financial help to the needy families, but it opens a place worthy of voluntary activity and gives an opportunity to every citizen, organization or group to come and volunteer and contribute to the community. He also said: “this is a privilege and a contribution to society, which does not fall in its worthiness below the value itself of the support given to the needy families”.
Rabbi Yossef Cohen, the chairman of the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization, indicated also to Rabbi Maklev that the Poverty Report published lately was lacking in its details. It testified more than could anything else, that there was no coordination worth mentioning between decision-makers and/or authority-holders and between charity Organizations, which were those, who met at first hand the needy and the true proportions of poverty. Rabbi Uri Maklev answered that he was aware of this problem and was quite active in finding it some solutions. According to his saying, before coming to the “Hasdei Naomi” Charity Organization he tried to have more
MKs joining him on his visit, such MKs that are active on the subject of ministerial responsibility to the population named the “Third Sector” or the Civic Sector. He said: “it is the obligation of any public representative to come and visit here in order to receive different concepts, true values. Government representatives must visit here, because we do have here a profoundly deep and total break off between what they know and what is happening in this place, which reflects exactly like a mirror the actuality in the field”.
At the end of the visit, Rabbi Yossef Cohen, being a Cohen – a Priest, blessed Rabbi Uri Maklev with the “Priestly Blessing” that he may ascend and succeed in his blessed and devoted activities for the benefit of all and sundry. Rabbi Maklev, whose visit made a deep impression on him, thanked Rabbi Cohen and the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization volunteers for their blessed actions and wished them great success whilst promising to stand by and help in anyway he can.