Do They Really Matter?
Sometimes, the mitzvah team at JPSI deals in the most basic, mundane matters. We think about things that the mainstream Jewish community tends to overlook or ignore. As the last High Holy Days approached, we gave some thought to the fact that thousands of Jewish men and women couldn't go to the temple gift shop and purchase High Holy Days cards to mail to family and friends. Surely, we find Jewish holiday cards in supermarkets and drugstores these days. But when you are Jewish and in prison, there is no place to buy these seasonal necessaries. You'd think that parents or spouses could easily mail them to imprisoned relatives. No way! In most instances, Rosh Hashanah greeting cards would be considered illegal contraband in prison mailrooms.
My friends, the dedicated team members at Jewish Prisoner Services International were not about to let the holidays come and go without accommodating their forgotten, behind-the-walls brethren. These extraordinary souls took it upon themselves to send an inquiry letter to the chaplains of every major jail and prison in America. The letter advised that we were preparing to mail High Holy Days cards at no charge, but we needed to know how many Jewish prisoners were at that particular address. Surprisingly, hundreds of chaplains completed our informational request forms and asked that we supply them with ready-to-mail holiday greeting cards. Just to determine what needs existed cost us hundreds of dollars, not to mention the investment of human energy to put this campaign together!
An awesome, incredible total of 20,800 Rosh Hashanah cards were needed to accommodate the requests we'd received. Where does one obtain 20,800 greeting cards when the funds to purchase them simply do not exist? Well, friends, B'nai B'rith International had donated some holiday cards to us last year and, fortunately, they didn't have an ancient date on them, so they were useable. To round things out, the North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods and some anonymous donors came forward and made 5,200 Rosh Hashanah cards available to us. Our wonderful mitzvah team worked day and night (but never on Shabbat!), sorting, packing, addressing and mailing the 20,800 requested greeting cards. Somehow or other we managed to scrape up the hundreds of dollars in postage fees required to get these cards to those who eagerly awaited their arrival. Mitzvot, chesed and tzedakah often generate unexpected, inspiring and uplifting rewards. The many acknowledgements we received made all of this time, effort and monetary investment worthwhile. I share a typical, actual thank-you response with you:
Dear JPSI;
I wanted to take the time to thank you. I am in an Arizona prison for women. On this yard they do not offer any type of Jewish services. I have run into this problem the whole time I have been in prison. I fought the system for a year to recognize my religion. I was finally put in the system as Jewish. I was able to celebrate Passover to a certain extent.
I was so thrilled when I received the New Year's cards your organization sent out. It really meant a lot to me to be able to send the cards to my family and friends. It is very hard sometimes when every other religion has regular services and they can't even get a rabbi to come here. I guess I just wanted you and your volunteers to know how much the work you are doing means to someone like me. It was a great feeling to be able to wish the people I care about a Happy New Year. I would have never been able to do that if it wasn't for your hard work and dedication.
I hope this letter reaches you in good health and you and all of your hard-working volunteers have a great New Year also. What you are doing is really making a difference, especially to someone like me who can't just run out and buy a card.
Thank you again for caring and making a difference,
B.L.H.
JPSI makes a difference on many levels. We supply (at no charge) free videotapes for Sabbath observances in prison systems around the world. We donate hundreds of siddurim, mahzorim, Tanakhim, basic Hebrew-reading guides, Jewish history and biography books, books on customs and traditions, tallaisim, Haggadot, kippot, teffilin and much more to spiritually malnourished men and women in prison. Our outreach programs involve pen pals, a free video lending library, marriage enrichment seminars, personal visitations, counseling, advocacy, and so much more. Sadly, we wage a difficult, uphill battle because the mainstream Jewish community has, for the most part, chosen to ignore their incarcerated brethren. We seek your support and we desperately need it at this time. There is much to be done, and together we can accomplish our mission of changing and saving lives. Helping our brethren in need generates good feelings within our selves. Jewish Prisoner Services International clearly and truly extends a helping hand to thousands of America's forgotten Jews. There's something you can do to help. Your participation will be gratefully and warmly welcomed.