2024 Passover Grants in LA and Israel

“Kol dichfin yeitei v’yeichol”—let all who are hungry, come and eat

At the Passover Seder, we re-tell the Exodus story and declare, “Ha lahma anya,” including the cornerstone phrase, “Kol dichfin yeitei v’yeichol”—let all who are hungry, come and eat. It is a core Jewish value that everyone deserves to celebrate being free at Passover and we open our hearts and our homes to those in need.

At The Foundation, we put this value into practice through our Passover grants. Each year, we award grants to vital Jewish organizations addressing food insecurity or bringing people together over food locally and in Israel. Every Foundation fund holder has a share in the grants. Thank you for making these possible. This year’s recipients include:

In Israel:

  • Lasova operates 40 food programs throughout Israel including soup kitchen restaurants and food distribution at youth centers and homeless shelters. Every Passover, Lasova hosts a seder feeding hundreds of people experiencing food insecurity. Over the holiday, Lasova opens its kosher-for-Passover soup kitchen restaurant for free daily meals serving 500+ people.
  • Latet works to reduce poverty in Israel and address the most pressing challenges in society. As an umbrella organization, Latet provides 200+ NGOs throughout Israel with food packages and other services. During Passover, Latet collaborates with an Israeli supermarket chain to provide 30,000 food packages for families in need. 
  • Leket Israel, an umbrella organization for the donation of surplus food, they provide more than 110 tons of food per week to nearly 200 soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior centers and more. During Passover, Leket Israel provides over 35 million pounds of fresh produce to the needy. 

In Los Angeles:

  • Karsh Family Social Service Center engages Wilshire Boulevard Temple congregants, Jewish community members, and otherwise unaffiliated Jews to provide low-income Angelinos with multi-lingual social services in a single location, including critical food, health, family wellbeing, and legal services.
  • Love N Groceries works to alleviate the financial and emotional burdens felt by Jewish widows and widowers and their children. Each week, recipients choose the groceries or necessities they need from a list, and volunteers deliver these items with discretion and care.
  • MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger works to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the U.S. and in Israel. MAZON focuses on governmental advocacy; grantmaking to food banks and pantries; engaging the Jewish community in local anti-hunger advocacy; and partnerships with 1,000+ synagogues to mobilize their members to help end hunger.
  • Congregation Ohel Torah (Keren Almanos V’Yesomim Fund, aka Widows and Orphans Fund) helps widows and orphans in the U.S. and Canada fill their basic need for protein. When the organization learns that a family breadwinner has passed away, a special account is established for the widow or widower with their local butcher or fish store.  Their bills are covered and they can buy food just like any other customer.
  • OneTable empowers Jewish young adults to build community by creating their own authentic Shabbat dinners, ultimately forming a lifelong Shabbat practice. Since its expansion to LA in 2019, it has engaged over 15,000 Angelinos in 5,250 Shabbat dinners.