A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a major milestone in a Jewish life, but Rebecca Meller, of New Rochelle NY, took it all in stride.  Not only did she recently become Bat Mitzvah, but she also dedicated her time to benefit children with multiple disabilities.  Rebecca was touched by Keren Or's mission and decided to raise money for Keren Or as a Mitzvah Project. 

When the Mellers visited Keren Or on a family trip to Israel shortly before her Bat Mitzvah, Rebecca found herself even more moved by the incredible work of the therapists and the bright smiles of the students at Keren Or.

Rebecca and a group of friends, with the support of their parents, planned a swim-a-thon where they gathered monetary pledges for every lap of the pool that they swam.  When Rebecca and her friends emerged from the water (see photo above), nearly $1,500 had been raised!  Her creativity, and the support of her family and friends allowed her to spread awareness of the challenges facing children with multiple disabilities and raise money to support Keren Or's work in caring for them.  We thank Rebecca for her commitment to Keren Or. 
 

If you would like to dedicate your Mitzvah Project to Keren Or, please contact Avi Smolen at avi@keren-or.org.

We are lucky to have such dedicated young supporters as Ally Herrnson, 11, of New York City and Jordana Putterman, 8 (see photo right), of Woodland Hills, CA. These two extraordinary young people were so inspired by the mission of Keren Or and the children that we help, that Ally and Jordana had the same idea, thousands of miles apart, to raise money for Keren Or by organizing bake sales. 

Ally learned about Keren Or in one of her classes at

Sutton Place Synagogue Hebrew School in New York City as part of a lesson on Judaism and social justice.   She was so inspired by what she learned that she organized a bake sale during her winter vacation to benefit Keren Or.

We featured Jordana's first gift to Keren Or and her letter in our October E-Newsletter, and she wrote a new letter to us after her bake sale that she organized with her brother: 
  

Dear Keren Or,

In October, one Shabbat, my brother, Ariel, and I talked about how we could raise even more money for our charities.  We decided to do a bake sale.  The next day, we sent an e-mail to our family and friends and took their orders.  The next Sunday we spent the whole day baking and the next day we delivered the orders.  It was such a good idea to bake cookies and sell them for money.  This is the menu: snicker doodles and chocolate chip cookies for 50 cents, blondies and brownies for $1. 

I hope I can continue to raise more money for you, and I hope my donation helps the children at Keren Or.

From,

Jordana Puterman

Jordana and Ally each sent in their money which will help children their ages at Keren Or's Center in Jerusalem.  We thank Jordana and Ally for their generosity and we hope this reminds all of our readers that no matter your age, you can make a difference in the lives of the children at Keren Or.

If you are aged 70½ or older, you can again enjoy tax savings by making a charitable gift of up to $100,000 to Keren Or directly from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA).  Though the end of the calendar year has passed, your contribution can still count for 2010, as long as it is made by January 31, 2011.

If you would like more information about making a contribution to Keren Or from your IRA, please contact us at 212-279-4070.

In our consistent efforts to remain current, Keren Or has joined Jumo, a social network which aims to connect people with nonprofits and charitable organizations.

Recently profiled in the New York Times, according to Jumo's website, it is "a new social network connecting individuals and organizations who want to change the world.  Leveraging connection technologies, Jumo enables people to find, follow and support those working toward solutions on the ground in their community and in regions across the globe."

Visit Keren Or's page on Jumo, invite your friends, and share why you support Keren Or and our efforts to provide for the needs of Israel's blind, multi-disabled youth.