Photographs from previous simchos

Only a few of the simchos we were zocheh to help with

These photographs show only a few of the simchos we have been zocheh to help make possible. Much of this work was carried out quietly, and many other occasions were never photographed.

Only photographs that preserve the dignity and privacy of the families are used. Some show the gathering itself; others show the hall, cakes, desserts, food and preparations arranged behind the scenes.

The complete gallery below contains all 27 Simchah photographs and the Sheva Brachos video supplied for the website.

Gatherings and preparations 7 photographs

Food and desserts prepared for simchos 9 photographs

Special cakes made for simchos 11 photographs

Sheva Brachos video 1 video

Why a standing fund?

A simchah cannot always wait for a campaign

Requests for help do not necessarily arrive months in advance. Sometimes we hear that a kallah is getting married while essential arrangements are still missing. At other times, a family approaches shortly before a bar mitzvah, bris or sheva brachos because it has no means to cover even the basic expenses.

These families are not seeking luxuries. They often lack the resources to make the simchah at all and may also have very little family support or social network. There may be nobody able to arrange sheva brachos, make the kiddush, help with the hall or accept responsibility for the many practical details.

A standing fund enables us to respond immediately, make commitments responsibly and begin arranging what is needed while preserving the family’s dignity.

What we help provide

Practical assistance for family simchos

• wedding and engagement expenses
• customary gifts during the engagement period
• weekday and Shabbos sheva brachos
• bar mitzvah celebrations and Shabbos kiddushim
• brissim, the seudah and a mohel when necessary
• a kiddush or festive Shabbos meals following the birth of a daughter
• halls, food, music and appropriate decoration
• tablecloths, serving materials and disposable supplies
• transportation, setup, staffing and other necessary arrangements

Sometimes we cover an entire simchah; at other times, the family needs help with one particular element. The purpose is not extravagance. It is to ensure that the family can celebrate properly, warmly and without humiliation.

Previous simchos

What has already been accomplished

• Two complete weddings for kallahs, including engagement celebrations, the weddings and customary gifts for the chassanim
• Several engagements and erusin for baalei teshuvah and a ger tzedek
• A complete bar mitzvah, including a Shabbos kiddush and weekday celebration with music, food and desserts
• Several sheva brachos for chassanim or kallahs with little or no family and only a small social network
• Bris celebrations, including arranging the bris itself and paying the mohel for a baal teshuvah
• Festive Shabbos meals and a kiddush following the birth of a daughter
• A complete sheva brachos for a family of very limited means who had nobody else able to undertake it

Some families know very little—or nothing—about how much had to be arranged or paid for behind the scenes. They should remember their simchah, not the fundraising that made it possible.

Sheva brachos

Surrounding a new couple with warmth

The week following a Jewish wedding is known as sheva brachos: seven days during which family and friends continue celebrating with the chassan and kallah as they begin their life together. Ordinarily, different relatives or friends host the meals.

When there is almost no extended family or community network, a weekday sheva brachos may require a hall, a full festive meal, music, setup and serving. A Shabbos sheva brachos can involve accommodation and meals for both families. Without somebody willing to assume responsibility, the couple may feel the absence of precisely the warmth and support sheva brachos is intended to provide. When such a need reaches us, we try to become the extended family that is missing.

Our approach

Dignity is part of the simchah

When we undertake a simchah, we do not want it to look or feel like something provided reluctantly to a poor family. That does not mean extravagance. It means dignity.

The food should be plentiful and properly presented; the room should feel festive; and the chassan, kallah, bar mitzvah boy or new parents should be able to invite their guests without embarrassment. A family’s financial situation should not be displayed through every detail of its simchah.

Replenishing the kupah

A reserve ready for the next need

The Simchah Fund has previously held approximately ₪30,000 (approximately €8,664 / US$9,980). That money did precisely what it was intended to do: it was used for weddings, sheva brachos and other family simchos that could not otherwise have been made with dignity.

This is not the budget of one particular event. It is a reserve that allows us to respond to different needs as they arise. Whenever funds are used, the balance and the amount required to replenish the kupah can be updated.

A quieter campaign

Active even when little is said publicly

This project will not always be accompanied by an urgent appeal. Some needs cannot properly be shared on a website; others arise suddenly and are handled privately. At times, even the family receiving assistance may not know which expenses were covered behind the scenes.

The Simchah Fund therefore remains an ongoing active project. The quietness of the campaign is part of protecting the dignity of the families it serves.

כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה

Carrying one another’s simchos

The rising cost of living in Eretz Yisrael has made ordinary family expenses increasingly difficult. We ourselves do not undertake these projects from a place of financial ease. But when another family has nowhere to turn, we try not to look away.

The responsibility of כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה applies not only in moments of tragedy. It also means ensuring, where we can, that another Jewish family can celebrate with dignity and joy.