ROZI LEVI: “We dream, we work, and we make it happen"
Mishne Torah, also known as Charity for Students has a new board and a new president for its women’s council: Rozi Levi. We talked with Rozi Levi about the new board, its missions and plans for the future.Could tell us briefly about the history of Mishne Torah?
Mishne Torah was founded in 1898. We celebrated the charity foundation’s 120th anniversary this year. Besides providing scholarship to many students, the charity has provided the students with their particular needs such food, medicine, healthcare and clothing. This way, the charity has touched the lives of numerous students since its foundation.
What are Mishne Torah’s goals? How is the charity funded?
Our mission is to raise well educated, culturally sophisticated young people and provide them with all necessary means.
We generate income through several ways such as selling greeting cards, accepting donations from philanthropists, selling marzipan and chocolate boxes prepared by our female volunteers on holidays and all year long and selling gift items and welcome baby kits.
On last Passover, we distributed Hegkom’s small tsadaka piggy banks. We received great feedback. Also, we attend various charity sales/bazaars and sell our marzipan boxes.
Could you tell us about the new members of the board?
Our board consists of former chairmen/chairwomen and vice chairmen/chairwomen. Everybody is working with great commitment. All of us support our charity in a warm family environment.
As a country and as a community we are going through challenging times. Has the charity been affected by this? If so, how? Do you have a road map to survive these times?
Unfortunately, our community is getting smaller each day. However, we are trying to keep Mishne Torah relevant with new offerings that both our community and the general society will benefit. We sell bodysuits for infants, hospital gift baskets for newborns, candy for weddings, bar-mitzvah, bat-mitzvah, vijola, quince halvah, and fig jam prepared by our female volunteers.
We as the new board members aim to carry Mishne Torah one step further. Of course, this requires a team effort. You cannot achieve anything alone. Our team consists of nearly 50 female volunteers accompanied by a board that consist of former chairmen/chairwomen and professional office staff. Our doors are always open to innovative, benevolent young people who want to help us. If they have any projects they want to promote, we can help them. We dream, we work, and we make it happen.
As Mishne Torah family we are a developing charity open to all kinds of innovation. Today, we are giving scholarship to 120 students. We are also providing psychological support and tutoring to several children. We are also providing clothing, food and text books to some students.
As a social responsibility, we are supporting Down Cafe that only employs people with Down Syndrome. Once or twice a year, we visit the cafe and spend a day with them. I recommend everyone to visit this cafe.
We thank our community for their support.