Ten Yad Hamodia Article December 14, 2011
The three pillars on which the world stands are Torah, avodah and gemilus chassadim. The Jewish community of Ottawa, Ontario,
the capital of Canada, is a close-knit kehillah with several institutions of Torah and avodah, including a kollel, three Jewish day schools, a yeshivah high school, Chabad, and several shuls. In addition, the approximately fifteen thousand Jews of Ottawa, including hundreds
of shomer Shabbos families, look out for each other in many ways. The community has always had a caring atmosphere, but about three years ago, Mrs. Esti Fogel, a native of South Africa and a resident of Ottawa for the past twenty-three years, felt it was time to set up a more formal, organized chessed network. She and several other like-minded people developed Ten Yad, an organization dedicated to making sure that Jews
in Ottawa who need help get it and that no one is left out.
Circle of Support
Ten Yad was established about three years ago and obtained official charitable status in 2009. Its mission is to help individuals and families in all segments of the Jewish community — whether they are affiliated or not — in life-altering situations, such as following a birth, or chas
v’shalom, a death or illness. “The organization was established to meet a particular need that was not being addressed in an organized way. People were always willing to help on an individual basis, but I noticed that when it was left up to the neighborhood, people did
not always get the help they needed. People might get too much food for Shabbos one week and nothing the second week, or lasagna for three nights in a row when they were lactose-intolerant,” said Mrs. Fogel. “In big cities like New York, there are enough people within each subcommunity to create its own bikur cholim. However, in Ottawa, we don’t have those kinds of numbers. With Ten Yad, we all
help each other, and the organization becomes a catalyst for unity by erasing the distinctions among different groups.”
Ten Yad provides assistance to those in acute situations who need help for a limited period of time through its “Circle
of Support.” Every neighborhood is assigned a group of coordinators. The program operates on the premise that social support and connection to a community is crucial in helping a person in a difficult situation return to his normal routine. When an individual or family needs
Ten Yad’s services, a neighborhood coordinator calls up and asks that person for names of his/her friends, relatives, and neighbors, and then tries to get those individuals to serve as the Circle of Support and provide what is needed. In this manner, the recipient is more comfortable
with the help that he/she gets and feels emotionally strengthened by the support of his friends and relatives. If a person does not have a large-enough circle of support, there is a pool of volunteers who are always willing to pitch in. One of Ten Yad’s main functions is providing meals for those who are ill, have just had a baby, or are otherwise incapacitated. Those who provide the meals must meet basic standards of Yiddishkeit and kashrus. In addition, a caring volunteer who cannot make a meal him/herself can sponsor meals made by a local kosher caterer at a very low cost. Ten Yad also provides other services, such as help with carpools and babysitting.
Kosher Pantry
Ten Yad continues to find many ways to assist the Ottawa community. It has a kosher pantry stocked with non-perishable food items, such as grape juice, matzah, tuna fish, granola bars, and instant soups. The pantry also contains electric candles for Shabbos lighting, siddurim,
Chumashim, a Jewish family directory, and other reading materials. The pantry helps individuals who find themselves in the hospital with a loved one completely unprepared, and it reminds them during these lonely periods that someone really cares. There is currently a pantry in
Queenway-Carleton Hospital, as well as on the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital. The construction of the pantry on the General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital is scheduled to be completed shortly, and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ottawa will soon be added to the list of sites offering this service.
Bikur Cholim
The Bikur Cholim division organizes visits for those who are in the hospital or in a nursing home, or who are homebound due to illness. Bikur Cholim is steadily increasing its inventory of services, including respite care.
Welcome to Ottawa
Moving to Ottawa? Ten Yad gladly welcomes new families to town. Recognizing that there are many challenges associated with a move, Ten Yad has prepared customized relocation assistance packages for different neighborhoods. The package includes some basic home necessities, as well as a handy resource guide with useful addresses, telephone numbers and websites. Welcome packages are available for each of the Jewish community’s neighborhoods, including Alta Vista, Craig-Henry-Centrepoint, Westboro, and Barrhaven.
Urgent … Shabbos Transportation
With the help of the Szirtes family at Ottawa’s Westway Taxi, Ten Yad has made arrangements for those in urgent situations to get taxi transportation to medical services on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Westway Taxi drivers will open and close the car doors for passengers when
they get in or out of the vehicle, and will also carry passengers’ bags. The driver is advised by the dispatcher that the taxi fare will be reconciled through Westway Taxi and that the passenger should not be asked for payment.
Chevrei Tehillim
In an effort to tap into the power of tefillah, Ten Yad of Ottawa has formed a Chevrei Tehillim Team (CTT), which stands ready to offer support and comfort to those who are facing a critical medical situation. The team is comprised of a group of thirty committed individuals, along with
fifteen back-up members, who will collectively recite the complete Sefer Tehillim as a zechus for an individual who is undergoing a serious procedure. The program is intended mainly for Ottawa residents but has also been used during times when extra tefillos are needed for situations in Eretz Yisrael.
Mi K’amcha Yisrael!
Mrs. Fogel continues to run the organization with great dedication, spending a large portion of each day coordinating its many projects. It is heartwarming to see Yidden in communities large and small care for their brethren. Mi k’amcha Yisrael!
