Many American donors to Yad Leah, an organization that collects and distributes American clothing to Israelis in need, never have the opportunity to see what happens on the recipients’ end. Where do the clothes they donate to Israel actually end up? Donors might be left wondering: Do people really appreciate their donations? What difference is it really making in the lives of Israelis?
Jessica Katz, the American director of Yad Leah, and her team decided to change that situation. “Klal Yisroel coming together to help each other right before Tisha B’Av is exactly what we need these days,” she said.
They put together an event on Sunday, Aug. 11, in the middle of the Nine Days, called “Dress to the Nines.” The event welcomed the community for an in-person warehouse tour, volunteer session and live Zoom call with four separate Yad Leah locations in Israel: Elon Moreh, Tzfat, Beitar and Ma’aleh Levona.
Their idea was that at this event, Americans and Israelis could talk directly to each other and learn more about the role Yad Leah plays in their lives and communities. Katz also wanted to highlight the important role that American-based clothing manufacturers have been playing. Since Oct. 7, many have stepped up their contributions significantly, including companies such as Twillory, Kidpik, Nina Shoes, Magnetic Me, Junees, Andy and Evan, and more.
In addition to getting a chance to directly speak with Israelis on Zoom, attendees had the opportunity to personally sort clothes and also put together specially decorated packages with messages of support and love along with back-to-school gifts for Israeli children.
Yad Leah recently expanded its warehouse and took over a neighboring section of the building, which they immediately filled up. At the event, although the room looked full, Katz assured the 125 visitors that the warehouse was practically empty compared to how it had recently been, as they had just sent off another 80 pallets.
Karen Thaler, the co-founder of Yad Leah who lives in Beitar and runs the Israeli end of the organization, spoke on Zoom to the crowd in America to share her own perspective on the organization. “This all began with Jessica packing clothes in her living room and me unpacking them in mine,” she said. “It’s incredible to think about what it mushroomed into.”
She told a story about a young woman who gets clothes for her own children but also gets clothes for her siblings since their mother passed away. Thaler asked her how she always comes in with such a big smile on her face. The young woman replied that visiting Yad Leah makes her feel like she’s going to family, and knows her needs will be taken care of.
But it’s not just people in uniquely challenging situations; there are also plenty of two income families who are just trying to get through each month that make use of Yad Leah’s services.
Thaler pointed out that some people ask, “Why not just give Israelis money to buy clothes locally?” She replies to them with the feedback they’ve gotten from so many happy customers: “The quality is better than what they can get in Israel. Even if you would give them money to shop there, it’s not the same quality and [won’t last] as long.”
While clothing donations are always essential and appreciated, Yad Leah also relies on generous financial support for costs like staff, supplies and shipping. Sorting the clothing takes a lot of time and effort, both from volunteers and paid staff. They only send clothing in excellent condition; anything worn out, stained and the like gets sent for recycling. Then the high-quality clothing is sorted into mens, womens, girls, boys and infants, as well as other categories like shoes or towels. There is also another level of sorting to make it useful to the recipients — clothing has to match the style of the community it is sent to, such as black pants and white shirts to a Charedi community and colorful clothes to a yishuv.
Yad Leah has 23 branches in Israel where the clothing is available for people to come and peruse. Each center is accessible by communities in a wide surrounding area, helping Yad Leah reach a significant number of Israelis.
This year has been an incredibly busy one. “Most years we send seven to eight containers and this year it’s only August and we’ve already sent 10. That’s half a million pieces of clothing already sent,” said Thaler.
“In general, we’ve been sending so much more after Oct 7. We were giving to displaced families that had to flee their homes literally with the clothes on their backs; some even went barefoot. They ran from their homes and needed everything.”
Thaler is grateful for the opportunity. “It’s humbling and exhilarating to be a conduit for chesed and goodness, to see the smiles and happiness that we’re able to spread.”
To learn more about Yad Leah, visit yadleah.org.
