I live alone in a basement cave I work by myself by the freeway Wait all day for the rain to fade But it doesn’t fade away around you.   So I run with luck until it dries I flew with the bird until it died I said a wish into the sky Dig the [...]

WET WINDOW AFTERNOON By Michael Olarewaju     You stand there, a mix of emotions, bewildered, relieved. It was on the second floor of that house that you spent the evening of your youth. You sit on what’s left of the porch, feeling it all, the opaqueness of the air in the room. You lie [...]

I’m Real © Kathy Pinheiro 2012   I now have a home – humble, but a start. I’m working again, part time. I’m on my way. This time round, I’ll never make the mistake of thinking that homeless people are not real, or that they’re all the same.   I had been homeless for less [...]

Recently we read Parshat Noach, a Torah portion dealing with the flood God sent to destroy the world. It was a perilous time, a destructive one, so much so that a rainbow hung in the sky once the deluge had abated, to remind the world such destruction would never occur again. After the flood, Noach [...]

By Erin Sadler August 7, 2012 Today, our last day in Uganda, was spent operating on a 5 year old male with congenital scoliosis at Case Hospital. While half of the team was at Case operating, the other half of the team went to Mulago to wrap up any loose ends, check in on post-operative [...]

By Erin Sadler August 1, 2012 The day started with some of the team heading off to round on post-operative patients at the respective hospitals. The others who remained at the apartments spent the morning doing laundry, finishing up some work, catching up on other odds and ends, plugged into the Olympics, and in Dr. [...]

By Erin Sadler July 26, 2012 On Day 3 (Tuesday July 24) we undertook our first surgical procedure at Mulago Hospital. The team was eager and excited to get started, but we were quickly reminded of the Ugandan culture: slowly, but surely. Arriving at Mulago in the early morning, we anticipated getting started right away, [...]

By Erin Sadler July 23, 2012 The team all congregated at Heathrow Terminal 5 for a 9:15 pm departure to Entebbe International Airport.  After some brief introductions the team seemed to quickly mesh well together and a warm dynamic was almost instantly evident. The team this year is quite large with thirteen members with various [...]

The Ve’ahavta League of Rock rocked. Thank you so much to the three bands that participated: The Moody Jews, Black Shabbos and Guns N’ Moses. Thank you as well to all the fans who came out to the event. For anyone who missed the show, or who wants to see the bands perform again, here [...]

He played for the Toronto Blizzard until his knee blew out. He became a cop and today he is the Deputy Chief. Listen to Peter speak about the police and their compassion. Worth a listen! Click here to listen.

To see all the photos, click here.

Sunday, January 22, 2012 Jambo (hello) and Kwaheri (goodbye) from Kenya! It was with mixed emotions that we began and ended our final morning of dental clinic Thursday in Maai Mahiu’s IDP (internally displaced people) camps. Even the generator battery rebelled against its assignment – the car battery dying too shortly after! David pulled off [...]

Folks: Another dental care day in the refugee camp.  Today our volunteers treated 38 patients including some who came back a second time for additional treatment. Melanie tells me that morale is high even though the environment is challenging. The weather is relatively cold, very windy, and dusty.  The dust makes dental work difficult, but [...]

For an exciting interview with our Chairman of the Board, Henry Greisman, click here. or to subscribe to all of our radio shows on iTunes, click here.

Folks, Melanie just called at 10:30 PM Kenya time Tuesday.  She reports that her roommate is trying to sleep while she is busy calling us with the latest mission news.  The group has arrived at the refugee camp in Maai Mahiu and spent a long work day setting up the dental clinic.  Melanie reports that [...]

Good morning everyone. This morning I went to my old stomping grounds of Lakeshore Blvd in Etobicoke to deliver some jackets. My first stop was to a lovely lady Barb that I have known for years. Barb is disabled and mentally ill. I stopped by her home to give her a jacket. We sat and [...]

Click here to see the latest Ve’ahavta TV episode.

When a men’s fashion mogul, and a philanthropist hook up tikun olam can flow. It does with Wendy and Lou Myles. Click here to listen to the radio show. Or subscribe to the radio show on iTunes by clicking here.

A VE’AHAVTA HANUKA MESSAGE Hanuka means dedication but the same Hebrew root means education, and I’ve always thought that Hanuka is the most educative holiday.  First, the rabbis considered the hanukia that we light each night to be an advertisement to the world.  They called it pirsumei nisa, publicizing the miracle.  The hanukia is meant [...]

Here is the latest Ve’ahavta Radio episode. We interview Steve Schwartz, of Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem. To listen to the radio show, click here. If you would like to subscribe to our radio show on iTunes, click here.

Click below to see our most recent episode of Ve’ahavta TV, a warm and introspective interview with Rabbi Yossi Sapirman, of Beth Torah. Check it out! To view more episodes of our TV show, click here.

Hi everyone! Last night was a truly special night on the van, and after discussing it with Eric we think everybody should hear about it! It is hard to understand the full scope of the program and what we can offer our clients unless you are on the van regularly, with that being said yesterday [...]

Listen to 3 fascinating stories of addiction – past, present, and future. One of these guests checked into a rehab program shortly after this interview, stating that we had lifted him up and inspired to make a change. Click here to listen to part 1. Click here to listen to part 2.

Sometimes co-host just need to talk. Listen to Avrum Rosensweig and Vac Verikaitis, co-hosts of Veahavta Radio – talk about life and tikun olam – repairing the world. Click here to listen

Taken at the University of Toronto’s Multi-Faith Center. From the left: Seymour Epstein (Acting Director of International & Education), Henry Greisman (Chairman of the Borad), Avrum Rosensweig (Founding Director and President), Tony Blair (Former British Prime Minister) and Melanie Lindayen (International Project Coordinator)

Jails are brimming with prisoners, with little to no rehabilitation offered; a place where men frequently come out ‘bad’ and women are regularly abused and demeaned. Joan Ruzsa, the Director of Rittenhouse, a Toronto based NGO offering services for men and women in jail joins Ve’ahavta Radio to speak to our listeners about people in [...]

What does “Freedom” really mean? There are a lot of words in the English language that have been kidnapped. Used in ways that have completely distorted their essence. Take the word LOVE, for instance. I’m walking by another one of the ubiquitous condominium complexes being erected in the downtown core where I live. The boards [...]

Monday, October 24, 2011: Good morning, The team has arrived safely in Guyana and continuing into the Middle Mazaruni after receiving the VIP traveller’s treatment in Georgetown and Ogle. Bekkie confirms it is sunny and beautiful in Guyana as the team hydrates on coconut water and the journey of this medical mission begins. Wednesday, October [...]

After the intense solemnity of Rosh haShana and the ten days of return culminating in the long fast of Yom Kippur, we enter into the joy of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, and Simhat Torah. The rabbis pointed out that the joy of Sukkot is emphasized in the Torah. Clearly, a holiday of festive meals, a beautiful [...]

Listen to the new riveting interview with two of Ve’ahavta’s own Community Poverty Relief staff Eric Cisterna and Lauren Gostick Eric Cisterna and Lauren Gostick Podcast

The upcoming Jewish holidays of Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur are called Yamim Noraim in Hebrew, Days of Awe, a more meaningful term than “High Holidays”.  Rosh haShana is traditionally celebrated as the anniversary of the creation of the world, but, interestingly enough, not the first day of creation, but day six, when humans were [...]

Homeless individuals encounter constant barriers everyday, one of which being access to healthcare. With a lack of identification and no address it immediately makes walking into a hospital difficult. One of our clients broke his hand, which already had an infection from an open wound that did not heal properly because of his living conditions. [...]

Click here to listen to the stories of two street youth and their struggles. William and Amanda Ve’ahavta Radio Show#2

Here is a poem from the creative-writing component of this August’s Ve’ahavta-Lions Youth Camp in Bartica, Guyana. On a Cold Night On a cold night at a casino, We gathered together around A broken hearth When a man walked into a beautiful woman. He asked her on a date But she didn’t answer. She was [...]

Ve’ahavta-Lions Youth Camp: Week 2 We set off into Week 2 of Camp in Bartica, Guyana with the Lions Club of Bartica, 3 full-time Ve’ahavta-Peace-Corps and Scarboro Missions Education volunteers, over 100 youth aged 5-17 and a bounty of exciting ideas and activities to fill our time together. The weekend provided our team some rest [...]

2011 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission Blog DAY 12 – Thursday August 25th: It seemed as though the second week flew by and the final day had come at last. Ngozi had been invited to give a lecture for the Physiotherapists in the New Mulago hospital, where some of our more difficult ICU patients had passed [...]

2011 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission Blog DAYS 6-8 – Friday-Sunday August 18-20: At the end of this long week, these threemystical days seemed to blend together into one. On the spinal side of things, the mission team split up so some could stay for the surgery onI.K., a 64 years-young female patient who was postponed [...]

2011 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission Blog DAY 5 – Thursday August 18th: At Case, things were running like clockwork. The surgical patient was a 50 year-old female agricultural field worker with neck and lower back pain that rendered her unable to work.She also had numbness of fingers and toes. She wasdisabled by spinal stenosis, or [...]

2011 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission Blog DAY 4 – August 17th: We split up to tackle three surgeries today. At Case,the A-team (Kris, Selvon and Jordan)started the day with ward-rounds, visiting patients recovering from surgery. We discharged a 39 year-old woman who Mark and Selvon operated on last Friday to relieve spinal cord compression that [...]

2011 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission Blog DAY 3 – August 16th: The morning began with a trip to the warehouse where tens of thousands of dollars of medical supplies were waiting for us. VeAhavta, a humanitarian organization based out of Toronto, organized and delivered a 40-foot container also containing 200 Kinder Kits, bags of school [...]

Ve’ahavta-Lions Youth Camp: Week 1 The small boat heading into Bartica was as full as my expectations for this first week of Ve’ahavta’s inaugural youth program in Bartica in partnership with the Lions Club of Bartica. Monday: I unloaded into the town’s stelling (port) with as much camp supplies as buoyancy would allow, and hit [...]

2011 Uganda Spine Surgery Mission Blog By Jordan Silverman, Ve’ahavta Volunteer DAY 1 – August 14th: Our mission began at the London Heathrow airport on Saturday August 13th. Jet-lagged from our trips from Toronto, Florida, Texas, and Poland, some remained in the airport while others day-tripped into London before the connecting flight. The anticipation grew [...]

Introducing VE’AHAVTA RADIO, hosted by Tikun Olam Productions, Episode #1. We are thrilled to share episode #1 of Ve’ahavta Radio, in our Street Series. This pilot show features a deeply moving interview with former prostitute and crack addict Theresa Schrader. Theresa is now a graduate of the Social Service Worker Program at George Brown College, [...]

June 17, 2011 Below is a ‘thank you’ note from Theresa Schrader, 2005 winner of Ve’ahavta’s Creative Writing Contest for the homeless and marginalized, and now Community Poverty Relief Liaison at Ve’ahavta. As a former prostitue and crack addict, Theresa entered the contest not expecting to win. When she did, a series of events including [...]

Posted: Ori Belmont, Ve’ahavta Outreach Driver Here is what I saw last night, and what I have witnessed over the course of the past few weeks.  The damp chill affects those who live on the streets tremendously. Their bones are brittle and bodies worn to such a degree that is practically unbearable. For us. But [...]

On April 19th, Congregation Habonim hosted Ve’ahavta’s 12th Annual Community Passover Seder. It was, by all accounts, an absolutely enchanting evening that warmed the hearts and souls for those in attendance. The traditional Passover seder is a time to recall the exodus of the Jews from Egypt as they fled Pharaoh. It is also incumbent [...]

I arrived in Zimbabwe on Wednesday afternoon and was greeted by Isaac, one of the Howard Hospital’s drivers. We made a quick stop in Harare to pick up some groceries which are hard to get in rural areas, and headed to the hospital. We drove for what seemed like two hours, first through paved roads [...]

The team ran a clinic today in Mashabo, a beautiful community with a primary school, health post, and a large population of young children as well as very young mothers. They saw about 63 people today and Larry did a house call. They are, as I write, traveling back to Bethany via tractor-trailer for a [...]

I spoke with Bekkie this evening and the team is now safely in Bethany. Bethany is an Amerindian Village, and is also the site for the Bethany Medical Missionary College which is located about a 20 min tractor ride up from the Bethany Amerindan community. Along the tractor ride, one rides through dense jungle and [...]

It˜s vaccine day in Karawab and our team saw lots of mothers and children. They had a chance to speak to the mothers on relevant health issues. Bekkie tells me that the rain is powerful but in short spurts. Most of the time it’s sunny and beautiful. The team is happy and feeling great about [...]

As scheduled, the group is in Karawab and is having a relatively slow day, 50 patients so far. Bekkie went up-river with a partner from the Lions Club to some small landings to get the word out about the clinic in Karawab. The local health worker is very enthusiastic about our presence in the village [...]

Dear Ve’ahavta, I wanted to share my experience with all of you and thank you for allowing us this beautiful tikun olam opportunity. My Mom, Lindy Meshwork, Executive Director of ORT Toronto and along with my children, Joelle and Syvana and I travelled to Cuba for a relaxing vacation. ORT Toronto sponsored a “Ve’ahavta Kinder [...]

Our team is now safely in Akawini, a remote, beautiful village located in the middle of dense jungle. It took about 2 hours to get there from Wakapao. The skies did open but thankfully the rain held off until the team had unloaded everything from the boat. They are now eating lunch and preparing for [...]

We just heard from Bekkie (Field Coordinator) who tells us that the team is doing well. Marty, Aviva, Bekkie and the Medex went to the primary school this morning to give a health talk to about 100 students. In a few moments, Barry, Bekkie, and Karen will be going to the Secondary School. There are [...]

Just a short note to let you know that I just spoke with Bekkie and the team has just arrived in Wakapao. As you might imagine, they are quite tired after a long day of traveling which included a commercial flight, a bus ride, and several boat rides up the Essequibo and Pomeroon Rivers! Wakapao [...]

(excerpt from Ori Belmont’s report on homeless outreach services excursion with teams from the Toronto Doctors Lions Club). Cooking a meal that is healthy and high in nutritional value for one’s self provides sustenance – but only for one.  Doing the same for someone that you know well brings great joy and pleasure in knowing [...]

(Ori is a Community Outreach Liaison with Ve’ahavta, and is the current driver for the MJRH program). MJRH Musings -A Satirical Look at Life on the Streets By: Ori Belmont An eerily familiar shrill ricochets off of the facade of one building, then another. Just as a cannon would echo through the night as its projectile [...]

Excerpt from the report and thank you letter from the Ankgor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia after receiving kinder kits for sick children… As a result from his (Saphea’s) HIV/AIDS he has bad skin lesions all over his body. His mother, however, cannot afford to bring him back to AHC to get proper [...]

Today was a very productive day.  I had a meeting with Claudia Jahn today.  She is from Community Action on Homelessness(CAH).  She is a very lovely lady.  I went to check out their office space and then we went out for lunch.  This was a Partnership meeting for the CAH and Ve’ahavta. CAH has agreed [...]

You may remember in May of 2010, we had been in contact with regard to a backpack drive that my son Cole completed at his school.  After an experience with Perry in the Outreach program, Cole was very much inspired by the Ve’ahavta model.  He initiated a backpack drive at his school, Sterling Hall in [...]

Shawna Meshwork just arrived home from Johannesburg, South Africa: I had the pleasure of meeting with our partner, MaAfrika Tikkun: an organization that much like Ve’ahavta, never stands still as they focus on transforming communities. We had a tour of the Phuthaditjaba (Gathering of Nations) community centre in Alexandra township where they focus on serving [...]

We ask our volunteers from the Mobile Jewish Response to the Homeless (MJRH) van to share their experiences with us. The questions are designed to help focus their thoughts and feeling about their time on the van. Q: What brought you to seek out this particular experience? Living in the suburbs, I often feel disconnected [...]

Inside an IDP Camp. The children after receiving the kinder kits have returned home and are outside their home playing and telling others about their wonderful gifts.  At the corner of their house are the kinder kits hung on the wall Happy children displaying their gifts. Timothy’s legs have paralysis below the knees.  With the wheelchair [...]

I took this picture from a moving van. The girl was running home to show her siblings what a wonderful gift she had received from Veahavta.  I imagined what her feelings were and concluded that she was carrying valuable instruments in her kinder kit which would transform her life into a professional to care for her community.  [...]

The Kinder Kits finally were cleared through Kenyan customs by the Israeli Embassy one and a half weeks after we arrived. We were so happy this day finally came. The boxes were stored for one day at the Nairobi Synagogue and then picked up by Marafiki in a lorry for delivery to the many schools, [...]

Hello Sarah, I am now in Amsterdam on my way back. Everything worked well in Kenya; I feel very proud for the great effort my team put in assisting the marginalized families in Kenya.  I am also very happy with the Marafiki team for their great effort in helping us accomplish our mission.  Let me [...]

My heart started racing as soon as I saw the Center for Performing Arts, and the large congregation of people inside the front doors.  I paused to collect myself, as I have never attended an event like Starry Nights. Once inside my level of anxiety grew. I could not believe that I was going to [...]

I wanted to share with you some of the details of my conversation just now with Thomas Ngobe, who is returning home to Canada tomorrow after working in Kenya for these past three weeks helping to distribute our shipment of 2,500 Kinder Kits, rehab supplies (wheelchairs, walkers) and other donations (flashlights, tshirts) to Kenyans in [...]

We are doing well in Kenya. Lisa broke her left hand finger on Thursday last week.  She was riding in the back of the truck delivering the Kinder Kits when she accidentally tipped a box and broke her finger. We made our first delivery of the Kinder Kits in a school in Masai land, a [...]

On Thursday October 28th we distributed the Kinder Kits to various places which Marafiki identified. The following day Lisa and Corrine went on a safari and I went to visit my family.  Tomorrow, November 2nd, we will start the actual distribution of the items to the recipients. Thomas

Hello! I hope you’ve had a great weekend. The team has now checked in at the airport in Timehri (near Georgetown) and should be departing shortly for Port of Spain, Trinidad, then Toronto.  They will be arriving home tonight! Their past few days have been busy and they have been slowly winding down.  They ran [...]

Hi Sarah, We received the kinder and they are now at the Synagogue for distribution tomorrow to various places. Mark leaves tonight and Izzo will drive him to the airport. It’s a pity Mark is leaving just when we received the Kinder Kits. We have been extremely busy working with the IDP Community at Maai [...]

by Bekkie Vineberg As I flew away, over the dense rainforest as the lone passenger on a small plane, there was a simple rainbow, and it overwhelmed me with a deep sense of gratitude for being able to do this work, for the loving, kind people we meet along the way, and for the support [...]

Hello everyone, This is a short note to let you know that our team is now safe and sound in Bartica.  They flew out of Kamarang today into the airstrip near Bartica, where they were picked up by the Lions.  Everyone is experiencing a new kind of culture shock – where the interior is quiet, [...]

Good evening everyone, I hope you’ve had a great weekend.  Our team in Guyana is doing really well.  They have experienced some big transitions and have been working through them cohesively and with great spirits.  On Friday morning, Ray Deonandan arrived to join the group.  His flight arrived in the morning, and he was picked [...]

Hello everyone, I received an update from the team at around 9:30 pm last night – they are in Waramadong and are doing very well. They were tired – they woke up quite early to get a head start but a downpour delayed their travel. The clinic has been busy, and there is also a [...]

Hello everyone, This is an update to let you know that our volunteers are doing well in Kenya.  Thomas and I have been speaking each day. The volunteers are doing well and Izzo of MaRafiki has been keeping them busy and engaged.  They are eagerly awaiting the clearance of our container of Kinder Kits from [...]

Hello everyone, This is a brief note to let you know that Bekkie called a short while ago to check in from Kamarang. They saw about 60 patients yesterday, got through a torrential downpour unscathed, and assisted a woman through her labour and then the successful delivery of a healthy baby last night! I jokingly [...]

Hello everyone, Today’s note is to let you know that Jessica called a little while ago on the satellite phone to let me know that our team is well and thriving in Kamarang. They ran a busy first clinic today. Despite their long day of travel yesterday, they still managed to see some patients as [...]

We arrived safely in Kenya and now we are residing at a Home-Stay near the city of Nairobi. Izzo let us know that the Kinder Kits are in the country but the container has not yet been cleared. I will be calling the Synagogue to get more information and will let you know the progress. [...]

Just a brief note to let you know that the team is now safely in Kamarang, which is in the interior of Region 7. The tents are set up, the bags unloaded, and their immediate plan is to have lunch, rehydrate, and for those who are up to it, setting up the clinic. I think [...]

Good morning! I will be trying to email you every day for the duration of the trip with little updates on our Guyana team. This first update is to let you know that everyone arrived safely – and early – this morning in Georgetown.  The flight was smooth and ahead of schedule, and all of [...]

I cannot begin to describe my feelings of extreme pride and humility – proud to be part of Ve’ahavta, proud to be a Jew, proud to be Canadian and also at the same time, to be so humbled by the experience of how much individuals and groups can do to truly do to repair the [...]

The reception for the Kinder Kits was overwhelming. The Rabbi could not believe the generosity and care in organization that had been put into making the Kinder Kits. I spent a few minutes describing the program. He was in disbelief when I quoted our explosion of growth and the means by which we attain our [...]

Day 4 Haiti We had yet another wonderful day. I must tell you that as I write there is a tremendous thunderstorm – the first rains I’ve experienced here so far. Our morning began with a meeting with our partner Food For the Poor (FFTP) Haiti. Ve’ahavta is working with FFTP Canada to facilitate four [...]

Another incredible day. With each day, with each hour, I find my perspective shifting. I am realizing, for example, that while during my first few days here it seemed as though very little has happened here in terms of cleanup since the earthquake, I have been noticing a lot of activity on the streets revolving [...]

I am so excited to tell you about our first real day in Haiti. It has been so full and we have covered a lot of ground. We started with an early breakfast and in the light of the morning sun I glanced at the pool and saw what I had missed last night – [...]

What a day.  Wake up in the morning in my house in Toronto, my daughter asleep beside me still.  Last minute packing before the cab arrives with Alison to take us to the airport. It seems strange to be going to Haiti.  Neither of us had been and we had no idea what to expect. [...]

Our obligation to do our part to repair the world means we need to look out for those not only in faraway places but also those who are part of our community. Recently I spent an evening with the Ve’ahavta Homeless Outreach Van along with my wife and twelve year old son. There is no [...]

The idea for this article started with a simple enough question. “Do you have any understanding of the Jewish community?” Pretty Basic. But for me, the question unravels many of the reasons why I’ve always cultivated the relationships I have with my Jewish friends, why I love the environment I work in as well as [...]

We were surprised to have such intelligent, interesting conversations with some of these people. Recently, we were stopped at a light at one of the van stop locations, and began to chat with one of the van’s clientele about meeting him the previous week. It was amazing to be able to interact instead of just [...]

At the beginning of May, Matthew, a twelve year old boy who is celebrating his Bar Mitzvah this October, came up with the idea to collect 1,800 pair of socks to donate to homeless people all over Toronto. He chose that number because in Judaism the number 18 represents chai, or life, and he wanted [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As one of the members [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I think the services we [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I am so frustrated by [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Throughout our travels around Port-au-Prince, [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After the busy day at [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. One interesting thing that we [...]

Ve’ahavta sent two volunteers, Drs. Lee Ann and Tsvi Gallant, on a mission to Haiti run by the Jewish Renaissance Medical Corps. The following is an excerpt from a trip diary by Dr. Alona Yacobovsky, physical therapist and YAD Social Co-Chair, who flew with the medical team to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We would be spending the [...]

The barbecue dinner was fantastic. It was the biggest turnout Ve’ahavta has had since we started doing the dinners. We had well over 120 people to serve. Jack Stern and his family and friends were absolutely amazing. Jack insisted on doing the barbecuing and he had a blast (albeit he was VERY exhausted after cooking [...]

This week I want to tell you about a remarkable man. He is extremely intelligent, and remarkably evolved. He is one of our clients, and he lives in a park. His name is Sid. For the longest time, Sid would only have brief interaction with me. Then, about 6 months into my employment with Ve’ahavta, [...]

By: Janet Phelan Winner: The Pen to Paper Prize At daybreak In the time of enormous suffering I awake to the soft staccato Of rain on the roof. It has been raining now For several months. Why Doesn’t someone do something About it? I fix myself a breakfast Of genetically modified stewed prunes With a [...]

By: Mo Ali Winner: The Rashi Prize Being sexually abused as a child is hard to deal with as a young adult. Growing up, living in poverty was embarrassing. Having to admit to my friends that I have four mental illnesses was terrifying. But you know, coming clean about the abuse, poverty, and mental illness [...]

Some touching things happened this week that reminded me that our program and my participation in it have a real impact on the people we serve. I now stop at a rent geared to income residence, where there live a few people I have known since they lived on the street. This week, there ware [...]

By: Vaclovas Verikaitis Winner: The Maimonides Prize The sky was lifeless and without colour. It hung over the city like a low ceiling in a dark, damp cellar. The rain that came with it dripped down in hard droplets that seemed to pierce the skin. It was an acid wash for the sins of a [...]

By: Tom Hogarth Winner: The Book of Life Prize Long ago, when the world was yet young, mankind was but a new creature upon it. In this time the powers that be still walked the earth with man, and they were new to their powers. In this beginning time winter came to the land… and [...]

I volunteered on the Ve’ahavta van with my two children and I it was such an incredible experience I felt the need to write to you. I asked Perry, who was the gentleman who took us all out, to provide me with your email addresses since I really wanted to tell you about our experience. [...]

It is a very meaningful program. Many of us take advantage of the fact that we don’t struggle at school. However, with certain kids at the program, the prospect of failure is always at the back of their minds. It is imperative we help students avoid that negative mindset, providing them with the help to [...]

Our June 2010 Guyana team returned home this weekend. Over the past two weeks Ve’ahavta volunteers, Bekkie Vineberg (Site Coordinator), Dr. Sandy Buchman (physician), Seth Buchman (support) , Victoria Siu (pharmacy), Sarah Wilson (paramedic), and Sue Rebick (nurse) have been in Guyana on a medical mission. You can read more about their journey in our [...]

Hi Everyone, Today I handed out three baskets to fathers I knew, and then drove the rest to two drop ins where Nir and I handed them out. One was the good neighbors club, a drop in for men over 50. The other was the Salvation Army on Jarvis south of Richmond. In the latter [...]

By: Lorren Stewart Winner: The Chaim Potok Prize This is my story. When my parents had me, I was addicted to heroin. I had to fight to stay alive. When I was six years old, my parents both died from heroin overdoses. I was put into foster homes until I started to run away at [...]

Hi everyone, The team got up super early this morning in order to be at clinic by 7 am so that they could ensure that they would see all remaining patients in Friendship before departing.  They just called from the bus which is on its way to Supenaam, the boat stelling. Before arriving in Supenaam [...]

Good evening everyone, Just a little note to let you know that the team ran their second last clinic today in Friendship, seeing about 60 people. Friendship is fairly remote and it took quite some time to travel there. Getting there including traveling for a few hours overland and then a boat ride down a [...]

By: Liz The Gilad Shalit Prize What has become of my life? I no longer have a life I did not have a death I had an eviction So I simply became a ghost I wander the streets, day and night Invisible to the unknowing Untouchable to the uncaring Incomprehensible to myself Inconsolable in my [...]

Hello again, Just a short note to let you know that I did finally get to connect with Bekkie this afternoon. The team ran a very busy clinic all day in St Deny. It took about an hour to get there from Mainstay because of a very rough road, but they made it and will [...]

Hello everyone, The team has been running a clinic in St. Deny today. This will be a short email because there is limited cell phone access in that community and I haven’t been able to speak directly to Bekkie yet. She did leave me a message saying that everything and everyone is fine. Looking forward [...]

Good Morning, The team is doing well – they had a very busy day yesterday, seeing a total of 85 patients at clinic in Lima Sands and doing a significant amount of health promotion throughout the day. Bekkie noted that she has seen quite a few cases of infertility, which taken in context in a [...]

By: Anonymous Winner: The Albert Einstein Prize I can’t say where I am from For I am a drifter of space and spaces I can’t say where I am going For the future is nothing but a perspective But I can tell you where I am I am here And I am changing. * * [...]

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. The team found their Thursday clinic in Capoey to be so busy that they decided to extend their work their by another day. The clinic was quite busy, and they saw approximately 130 patients. A few of the more significant health issues they observed included [...]

Good morning everyone, I just got off the phone with Bekkie. Everyone is doing great and they are just waiting for the boat to pull up to take them across Lake Mainstay and over to Lake Capoey. Capoey is the next village and is a magical place. Bekkie and I visited the community and met [...]

By: Anonymous Winner: The Joseph, Coat of Many Colours Prize I am me. I am me no fake outs, no excuses no I will not, I will not let you control me. Only respect me and my space I will not sit by and let you degrade me. No I will not forgive you for [...]

Good Afternoon! Our team has now arrived in Mashabo, another Seventh Day Adventist Amerindian community located along the end of Lake Mashabo.  It is a beautiful village.  The local health post (see attached photo) services a population of about 400 people.  There is a large population of children in this particular community.  The team got [...]

Good morning, Just a little note to let you know that our team is running its first clinic today in Bethany.  The turnout has been steady so far with a larger number of elderly patients.  The team has been joined by a volunteer from the Lions Club of Bartica, Beverley, as well as by Melissa [...]

By: Ruben Delgada Winner: The Chai Prize In the place I grew up in there were always troubles that I never knew about until my age got doubled. I grew up in a corrupt home, kept my feelings deep inside, that’s why I felt alone, criminal behaviour was seared into my dome, because that’s all [...]

Hello everyone, Good morning! This is a short note to let you know that our team, our bags, and all of our supplies have arrived safely in Guyana and were cleared through customs without a hitch.  Bekkie called at about 8:30 this morning to let me know hat everyone was great and that the team [...]

By: J.L. Marlowe Winner: The Aggadada Prize It is mid-November. I am sitting beside the reflecting pool in Nathan Philips Square in downtown Toronto wondering where I can find some cardboard for a bed tonight. Skaters are doing turns around the pool, which at this time of year is an ice rink. The sounds of [...]

By: Nicole Luongo Winner: The Shalom Alechem Prize The following is an introduction to a book that is not yet written: It’s freezing. The basement window is wide open, and the wind has blown the bedcovers off of my body and onto the floor. It’s mid-December, and all I’m wearing is unbalanced it feels, having [...]

Thanks again for the prize and the opportunity to show off my writing. I felt that I’ve been slacking in the writing department, but this has been truely inspiring, It has once again proven that my sobriety is paying off. I’m excited to get to work with my new computer and to get some screenwriting [...]

By: Jamie Rhiness Winner: The People of the Book So you wake up to the street cars rattling above you, as they cross the bridge keeping you sheltered from the rain or snow. Pigeons painfully cry in vein as they are pecked at by others. The dusty ground is contaminated with PCB’s. You don’t know [...]

By: Heather-Ann Michie Grand Prize Winner Like a leaf trembling in the breeze, I find the courage to get off my mattress, leave my empty place, and head out into another cold wintry day, even though I feel down. This day, I have change for the bus.  People are staring at me.  Maybe my coat [...]

By: Leif Hernborg Winner: The Ahad Ha’am Prize My name is Leif. I am 43 years old and homeless for the second time in my life. I am currently fortunate enough to be in residence at a city-run shelter called “Fort York” which gives 60-90 males opportunities to work and save money and keeps a [...]

In the past few months, I have been a volunteer at the Lita and Mikey Homework Club in Regent Park. As a tutor and a mentor, I have developed multiple connections with my students and watched them grow and succeed. One grade five student I was working with brought an assignment to the Homework Club [...]

I now know that in Cuba, there lives a vibrant and passionate Jewish community. With less than 1,500 Jewish people across the entire country, the Cuban Jews show the meaning of Tikun Olam. On Wednesday afternoon, the women in the community join together to make Challah for each family, while on Friday night the community [...]

One week ago, I left Toronto really excited to visit Cuba for the first time, to see the sights of Havana and to spend some time with the small Jewish community that we had heard so much about. One week later, I am about to leave Cuba, after visiting for the first time, seeing the [...]

This mission has been significant for me because it has not only drastically changed my perspective on what’s important in my own life, but it has also changed my view on what it means to be Jewish and the importance of belonging to and participating in the Jewish community on a local and global scale. [...]

The time I spent on the street with Ve’ahavta’s ‘Three Days’ initiative was something very special. I will take it with me for life and I was/am honoured to be a part of it. I was walking down Bloor street a couple of weeks ago and passed by a woman panhandling on the street. My [...]

Written by Machla Abramovitz Reprinted from Mishpacha It is rare that one meets an individual whose deep commitment to healing the poor knows few boundaries in regard to people or place. Such was the case when I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Leya Aronson. Every year this frum, spunky grandmother packs one suitcase and [...]