Since Chanukah of 2023, women from 25 cities across the U.S., from the Five Towns to Wisconsin, as well as across the globe from Canada and England, have been generously donating their sheitels through a chesed originated in Beit Shemesh in Israel.

Named “Oz VeHadar” by Miriam Solomon, well-known shadchanit from the Five Towns who helps spearhead the project, the name aptly describes the “oz,” the strength and fortitude needed by the young wives, and too often tragically widows of IDF soldiers, throughout this war and the “hadar,” beauty that they experience upon receiving a newly-styled sheitel.

The idea for this unique chesed originated in Beit Shemesh. On a street temporarily housing many young wives whose husbands were called up to active duty for months at a time, leaving them in charge of running households with young children, Ora Watson, former Teaneck resident, posed a question to her own daughter Elisheva’s friend, who herself was coping with this difficult reality. “What would be a source of comfort to these women?” Elisheva’s friend’s response was a wig. Jewish women were always attentive to looking their best for their personal well-being as well as that of their husbands. Why not help them through these difficult times by offering them a gift that could raise their spirits and self-image. A new stylish sheitel would do just that! Thus “Oz VeHadar” was created.

One call by Watson to sister Bracha Shulhof in Lawrence, New York resulted in 50 wigs arriving in the luggage of Dr. Zev and Terry Goldberg, parents of Watson and Shulhof, in time for Chanukah.

Word spread quickly and the wigs were distributed within one hour. Most importantly, each wig was accompanied by a personal note by the donor to the recipient. The overarching message of the notes was that the donor was sharing a piece of herself with the recipient in a show of love and appreciation for the courage she demonstrated by holding down the fort as her loved ones defended the Jewish nation on the front lines. Mothers of chayalim were also invited to receive these tokens of gratitude.

Ora and Mark Watson of Teaneck made aliyah in 2009 with their family. Settling in Beit Shemesh, Mark continued his professional career in technology and Ora offered private chugim in English. On Oct. 7, son Avi was called into duty and was on the Lebanese border for 117 days. Son-in-law Yedidya was called into his unit as a shooting instructor shortly after the birth of his third child. Watson and daughter are now totally committed to the distribution of the sheitels, together with many Beit Shemesh neighbors.

Word of Oz VeHadar spread quickly to over 25 Jewish communities throughout the U.S. where women volunteered their homes to become collection sites for the wigs and the accompanying notes. In Lakewood alone, there are currently eight collection sites. In our own town of Teaneck, Dr. Rina Felman serves as the coordinator of the local collection. Felman shared, “The women of Bergen County have tremendous gratitude to Ora Watson and Oz Vehadar for the privilege and opportunity to donate sheitels and jewelry to the IDF wives and mothers whose strength of character, courage and resilience are beyond inspiring. I feel the warmth with which the donated items are dropped off. They are packaged beautifully and often are accompanied by a kind note. While the donations are a small gesture compared to the sacrifice these women are making, they are made with so much love and hope of bringing nechama to these most amazing women.”

Oz Vehadar advertises through a link on WhatsApp, where recipients register for the sheitels. They are notified of dates and location. At several events, hundreds of women have come by from all parts of Israel. To date over 2,000 newly styled sheitels have been distributed.

As the saying goes, “mitzvah goreret mitzvah,” one mitzvah leads to another. The ramifications of Oz VeHadar to date are incredible. Oz VeHadar has extended invitations to wives of ZAKA members to whom they provide special sessions in coping with the trauma that their husbands experience daily in addition to the gift of the sheitel. Equally impressive is that among the women who have registered for the sheitels are several who have never before covered their hair. The gift of a sheitel has encouraged them to take upon themselves this new mitzvah.

Most impressive as well is that the young ladies who are learning at the Tiferet seminary in Beit Shemesh for their gap year are heavily involved in cleaning and styling the wigs for the participants, which extends the bandwidth of the chesed even further.

To participate in the chesed activities of Oz VeHadar, contact Ora Watson at [email protected] for the closest collection center in your area.

Tizku L’Mitzvot!