Chaptzem Blog!      

Citing the high rate of unemployment and the growing financial despair in the Orthodox Jewish community, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) has called upon kosher food distributors to keep prices for this year’s Pesach items at a minimum.

In a letter sent to the CEOs of leading kosher food companies, Hikind wrote, “Many of our brethren are in a state of fear and anxiety, uncertain how they will afford the costly Pesach expenses. Together we can alleviate the distress of our Jewish brothers.”

Hikind noted that although Pesach is still four weeks away, his office has already seen an influx of constituents asking for assistance in obtaining food vouchers and referrals to Pesach food pantries. “We are living in precarious financial times,” Hikind remarked. “People literally don’t know how they will put their next meal on the table, let alone manage to pay for all the Pesach necessities. I am trying to ease that stress.”

Local community organizations which offer food and financial assistance are also feeling the pinch of the economic crisis. Confronted with a drastic reduction in private donations and government grant monies, current organizational resources available to the community are considerably less than in previous years. “Every year at our Sedarim we recite, ‘whoever is hungry, let him come and eat [with us],’” said Hikind. “I am trying to ensure that no one will be hungry this Pesach or be forced to rely on the kindness of strangers.”