Beit Halochem Beer Sheva

Over 1,000 guests attended the Grand Opening of Beit Halochem in Beer Sheva on April 13, 2011. The facility serves thousands of disabled veterans and their families living in southern Israel, as well as the victims of the terror onslaught raging these past several years in the city of Sderot and its environs including those from “Operation Cast Lead”. Toby Feldberg, President of Beit Halochem Canada, was honored to speak on behalf of donors from around the world. Here is the text from her speech:

It is my privilege as the Presdent of Beit Halochem Canada to speak on behalf of all the Friends organizations, supporters and donors that without you this wonderful building you have just seen would not be here.

I would like to welcome our Beit Halochem supporters from all over the world … especially our large contingent from Canada, the leading and largest friends organization.

This is a dream come true, it was a long way in happening but it was worth waiting for. What a magnificent Centre this turned out to be! Don’t you agree?

The best part of this new facility is that our disabled veterans and victims of terror living in the South will finally have a home.

I speak for all the friends of this wonderful organization from all over the world when I say that for us to see our Heroes getting the proper care they deserve it fills our hearts with happiness.

I look at these young people, who have sacrificed so much, not only for Israel but for all of us all over the world. Because of YOU, Israel is strong, and because of you we in the Diaspora are not afraid to say we are Jewish and we are able to live with pride just like any other nation in the world.

We must never forget that Israel is the insurance for our survival. We are so proud of all of you and you should also be proud of yourselves. It breaks our hearts to see so many new members join Beit Halolchem each year.

Here our work of love is cut out for us. We try very hard to raises as much money as we can, so that you will be able to receive all the treatments and programs that you need and deserve.

We update many of the existing Centres with new equipment so that you will receive the best possible results. Everything that we do is for your benefit.

Each time we come to visit you in Israel or when you come to Canada and the other hosting countries, we see the results that you get of the work done by Beit Halochem.

We work hard so that you can resume your independence and go on to live a productive, happy and normal life.
This is the best reward we can receive.

I would like to thank our devoted donors and volunteers who have come here from all over the world for your generous support, without you we could not be doing this amazing mitzvah.

I hope that you have been inspired by what you have experienced and when you go home, you will do all you can to continue helping our brave heroes.

I can promise you that Canada will do everything in our power to raise more funds for Beit Halochem so that our veterans will be taken care of the way that they deserve to.

On behalf of all of us, I would like to congratulate all the people who work and volunteer in the organization for the wonderful job that you are doing. We can see that your hearts are in it and how proud you are when you see such positive results.

THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US.

I am lucky that my husband Saul has the same strong feelings about Israel and the importance of Beit Halochem and together we do everything we can to help in every way possible.

In closing, I can only say that I pray that one day soon, there will be Peace in Israel and no new members will have to join Beit Halochem.

Chag Samaech, Shalom and Am Israel Chai.

New Centre Wins Design Award

Eitan & Michal Kimmel, Ilan Carmi and Shahaf Zayit of Kimmel Eshkolot Architects were awarded in July 2011 the “2011 Yaacov Rechter Prize for Architecture” for their design and planning of Beit Halochem Beer Sheva. The Yaacov Richter prize, considered one of the most prestigious prizes given in Israel in the field of architecture, is awarded bi-annually. (Read more, in Hebrew.)