I was introduced to Chamah by my father-in-law, Mr. Jack Weiler, Of Blessed Memory who was especially sympathetic to this organization. He was sure that one day from a humble beginning, Chamah would become a major organization. He was right.

The first time I met Rabbis Zaltzman and Chudaitov, was in the 1970's when they had come from the Soviet Union. I remember how inspired we were by their underground work there, that I called my young son Josh, a teenager at the time to join us and listen to what it means to be a Jew in the underground in the Soviet Union.

We learned about Chamah, how they organized dozens of classes to study Hebrew and Judaism, distribute Judaic literature, bake Matzah there, and organized a network of social programs to help those who were in need. We learned how much they contributed in attracting young people to come to the Synagogue Simchas Torah in Moscow and Leningrad which ultimately pulled in thousands of Jewish youth as a clear demonstration and challenge to the authorities.

In the 1970's, when they emigrated to the west, Chamah began its programs in Israel. They established a large Community Center in the city of Kiryat Malachi with a variety of educational programs for the young and old to ease the difficult process of absorption of the newcomers from the Soviet Union. Just recently Chamah opened a new Day Care Center in Kiryat Malachi.

In New York where about 400,000 Russian Jews have settled 50,000 of their children are attending public school with no Jewish education at all, Chamah has organized a network of educational programs in various areas of Brooklyn and Queens. Their summer camps prevent the children from running in the streets during the summer months and gives them the opportunity to savor their Jewish heritage for the first time in their lives. The Mobile Jewish Center of Chamah is well known among the Russian Jewish community in Brooklyn and Queens. Its aim is to spread Judaism among Russian Jewry there.

In Russia Chamah's programs have gained a world-renowned reputation. The Center for Underprivileged Jewish Children, a new Synagogue which has been built by a Muslim encouraged by Saudi Arabia, and its various social programs are amazing.

We have taken a great interest in their humanitarian programs, feeding the hungry and elderly in Russia today totaling about 220,000 hot and nutritious meals a year.

There are thousands and thousands of our fellow Jews and non-Jews alike literally going to bed hungry. My family and I felt it is a priority to share a piece of bread with someone less fortunate. These are people who were once at the top of their careers and in their glory days who today must depend on our mercy.

How could we stand by seeing the global work of Chamah in Russia, Israel and the United States. Chamah is a comparably small organization, but its international programs feeding the hungry and elderly and educating the young are large and impressive. I believe by supporting Chamah, it is the best investment in Jewish charities I make.

This is why I support Chamah and ask you to join me in this worthy cause!