This past Chanukah, we celebrated with new initiatives, volunteers, activities, and beautiful ceremonies across our many branches throughout Israel. We wanted to take a minute and show you some of the amazing things we did over Chanukah at our Or Akiva branch.

We started off Chanukah with a toy drive for special-needs children organized by Ilanit, our Or Akiva Branch Manager. This project was incredibly important to Ilanit, and all of us at Meir Panim, as it brought smiles to the faces of so many children who are less fortunate this Chanukah.

Throughout Chanukah, we hosted many volunteers who decided to use their holiday vacation time to give back to their local communities and help those in need. At the toy drive, a group of local high school boys volunteered and helped Ilanit organize the drive and hand out delicious jelly donuts to all the participants. We also hosted police officers who wanted to take time to give back to their communities in a different way than their normal day-to-day activities.

Towards the end of Chanukah, we held a special candle-lighting ceremony for the local senior citizens at our Or Akiva center. Many of the Seniors in attendance live alone and can often feel isolated and lonely during the holiday season. This is why it’s so important for events like these, especially during the holidays, to allow local seniors to feel connected to their community and celebrate the holiday with their friends.

We at Meir Panim always try to make Chanukah a time of joy and celebration for all. We hope that our events and distributions have brought some light into the lives of those throughout all of our Meir Panim Branches.