The Mayor of Beit Shemesh, Rabbi Moshe Abutbul, met with Rabbi Yossef Cohen, Chairman of the “Hasdei Naomi” Charity Organization. The Mayor said: “25 years ago, when I began to explore possibilities of assistance for the needy of Beit Shemesh, I knew there was only one address: the “Hasdei Naomi” Charity Organization” * the remarks were made at a meeting held between the two with the aim of expanding operations in the city
Rabbi Yossef Cohen, Chairman of the “Hasdei Naomi” Charity Organization, and representatives of the organization met with Rabbi Moshe Abutbul, the Mayor of Beit Shemesh, in order to update him on the volume of activity in the city with the aim of exploring ways on how to expand the assistance to the city residents.
The Mayor received the representatives of the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization with great respect and was unable to hide his admiration for the scope of activity. He also spoke of his personal connection to the organization, which had begun twenty-five years before.
It was in the early days after his arrival to Beit Shemesh, he began then a charity free loan to help the needy families in his area and he needed help to achieve this aim. “I knew then that the only address, where I could get respectable help with a bright reception would be the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization,” – said Rabbi Abutbul –
“Indeed I was not wrong. Since then I am trying to accompany, act and contribute to this important organization as much as I can. I am honored to help expanding its activities in the city of Beit Shemesh.”
At the meeting, Rabbi Yossef Cohen told the Mayor that the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization has been involved for nearly a decade in the city of Beit Shemesh and supports hundreds of needy families, widows, orphans and difficult cases, by distributing food products, fruits, vegetables and other refrigerated food, and also footwear, new clothing and more.”
The activity is currently taking place in a small warehouse, which had been intended to store garbage, and was converted into a temporary distribution point but this “temporary” has lasted for nearly a decade. Several local women took on themselves the initiative: in the past, they had been volunteers at other branches of the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization and when married – moved to the city of Beit Shemesh. As veteran volunteers of the “Hasdei Naomi”, they took in at once that in their surroundings quite a few families were desperate for help and immediately joined into action. They recruited many volunteers, who are meeting each week in the small warehouse to assist with the packaging of the food products, towards distribution to hundreds of needy families, orphans and widows.
Recently, the number of the supported in the city of Beit Shemesh has grown and at the “Hasdei Naomi” Organization, it was decided to investigate the possibilities of expansion of the local distribution point to a more respectable and permanent place, which would give a decent answer to the many needs. As we wrote, to do so, Rabbi Cohen and the representatives of the “Hasdei Naomi” met with the Mayor of Beit Shemesh, Rabbi Abutbul, to discuss the various possibilities of increasing the Organization’s activities.