|
Hi Reader,
I just got back from 4 days on the ground in Israel with an incredible organization called Daily Giving โ and I'm still processing everything I saw.
I want to share it all with you. Because this is exactly why IGNO exists. Not to look away from the hard things โ but to make sure the extraordinary things don't get buried under them.
What I kept noticing, at every single stop, was this: behind every organization was one person. One person who saw a need, refused to accept it, and built something that changed tens of thousands of lives. Let me show you what that looks like. ๐
|
|
|
EZER MIZION โ BONE MARROW REGISTRY
The moment a stranger's cells saved a life โ and they finally met
Ezer Mizion started as a small, volunteer-run project providing medical equipment loans and hospital meals, as well as a place for patients to rest during treatment. Today it is Israel's official bone marrow registry with 1.3 million donors, including thousands of young IDF soldiers who get swabbed the day they enlist.
While we were there, we witnessed something I will never forget. A donor met the recipient of their bone marrow โ face to face โ for the first time. A stranger's cells, living inside another person's body, keeping them alive. I don't have the words. I just have the image of those two people looking at each other. ๐๏ธ
One person started this. Now 1.3 million people are in the system, ready to save a life with a phone call.
|
|
|
"At every stop I kept asking myself โ how did one person build this? And then I'd meet them, and I'd understand immediately." |
|
|
ZOHARIM YOUTH VILLAGE - MIGDAL OHR
A young rabbi on a mission โ and tens of thousands of lives later
Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman was a young, newly married, yeshiva student in 1972 when he started what would become Migdal Ohr with the express purpose of providing education and social guidance for poor, disadvantaged children from underprivileged and problem homes. We walked through their music therapy program and watched boys completely absorbed in the healing power of sound. What started as one young man's vision is now a home, a school, a multi-city community and a future for children who had none. ๐ต
|
|
|
|
|
THE NEXT STEP - FOR AMPUTEES AND LIMB DIFFERENCES
Building a new center for people who refuse to stop moving
The Next Step supports people with amputations and limb differences โ helping them not just adapt but thrive. They are currently building a brand new studio and center. Watching the people there, you don't see limitation. You see determination. ๐ช
|
|
|
|
KEREN OR: JERUSALEM CENTER FOR BLIND CHILDREN WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES
The boy who heard what others couldn't see
Keren Or serves children and young adults who are visually, physically, and multiply impaired. We were there during a lesson and the room was full of music and joy. One little boy turned to his aide, completely unsolicited, and said: "That's Mordechai Shapiro." He had recognized a beloved Jewish singer by his voice alone.
That child couldn't see him well. But he heard him. And he knew. Sometimes the people who see most clearly are the ones the world overlooks. ๐ค
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COLEL CHABAD
125 Bar mitzvahs, 125 pairs of tefillin for boys without fathers
We spent time with 125 boys who have lost their fathers โ giving each one a meaningful Bar Mitzvah experience and their own pair of tefillin in preparation for their bar mitzvahs. The Kotel was full of noise and energy and life. These boys are not defined by their loss. They are loved and held by their people. ๐๏ธ
|
|
|
|
UNITED HATZALAH - EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE
Eli Beer started this. Now it saves lives every single day.
The United Hatzalah command center is unlike anything I've ever seen โ thousands of volunteers across the country, coordinated in real time, reaching emergencies faster than any ambulance. Eli Beer built this from nothing. Today it is one of the most innovative emergency response operations in the world. ๐
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AISH GLOBAL
Every kind of Jew, learning together
At the Aish Global Center in Jerusalem, Jews of every background and level of observance come to learn Torah. No prerequisites. No judgment. Just doors open and light on. In a time when Jewish unity has never mattered more โ this place is living proof that it's possible. โก๏ธ
|
|
|
|
You don't have to just watch the good news. You can be part of it. Every single organization I visited this week is supported through Daily Giving โ $1 a day to charity. That's it. Simple, effective, and meaningful. Join here: www.dailygiving.org/igno.
Reply and tell me "I'm a Daily Giver" โ I read every message. ๐
|
|
|
Israel takes care of its own. The old, the young, the sick, the grieving, the hopeful, the searching. Every gap gets filled. Every need gets met. Not by governments alone โ but by people. One person at a time.
That's what I saw this week. That's what I always see here. And I can't wait to show you more.
Thank you for being part of this light.
Each story you read, share, or forward keeps that light moving.
Thatโs what Israel Good News Only is all about โ connection, courage, and a little more hope in everyoneโs inbox.
See you next week,โ
Sam Kramer
โFounder, Israel Good News Only
P.S. Share good news or photos with me directly โ just REPLY with a "Hi ๐๐ป" - I'd love to hear from you.
P.P.S. Something new is on the horizon โ I'm building an experience for people who want to see Israel the way I see it. Not a standard tour. Something more personal, more meaningful, more us. More details coming soon. Want to be first to know? Fill in your details here โ I want to be first to know! ๐บ๏ธ๐ฎ๐ฑ
๐ NEW: CHECK OUT PAST NEWSLETTERS HEREโ
๐ Join 35,000 people in our WhatsApp Community for Daily Good News messagesโ
โโ๐ Follow IGNO on Instagramโ
๐ Forward this email to someone ----> Tell them to Subscribe to the Newsletter here
|
|
|
โ