Ongoing lockdowns and onerous restrictions may have stifled nearly everything in Eretz Yisroel, but one Erev Pesach “tradition” persisted. Mesamche Lev’s annual shoe distribution took place this month, with some thirty-two thousand children choosing top quality, stylish leather shoes for Pesach.

News that the distribution would take place was greeted with a giant wave of relief, as many had wondered how an event that has thousands gathering under one roof would be possible during COVID.

“To us, it was never a question of if it would happen,” says Rabbi Nussi Cisner of Mesamche Lev. “It was only a question of how. The children were going to get their shoes. We were going to figure out the logistics, no matter what”. Using every tool at their disposal, including diplomacy and meticulous planning, the organization spared no cost in preparing for an event that would satisfy government regulations.

Under normal circumstances, the distribution takes place over four days, with tens of thousands of children from the entire country gathering to select shoes. This year, the same event was spread out over three weeks, so that there were far fewer people present at any time. Participants found the distribution carefully prepared, with plexiglass partitions separating the sections, and helpful volunteers ensuring that families were quickly served, so that traffic moved quickly and social distancing was maintained.

With more families needing assistance than ever before, Mesamche Lev added 4000 children to its distribution, bringing the number of pairs distributed from 28,000 to 32,000. They also added another location in Modi’in Illit. That event joined Beit Shemesh in supplementing the main distribution in a massive tent set up in Richvat Shomrei Emunah, a huge square in Yerushalayim. The satellite locations were a boon to the cities’ residents, as they spared thousands the burden and expense of traveling to Yerushalayim.

This year, the distribution was more crucial than ever. The Chareidi community is reeling from the economic fallout of COVID. Thousands of businesses have folded, the tourism industry - a mainstay of parnassah for many - is dead, and even meshulachim have been unable to travel for funds. Families are in crisis. They are struggling to buy the barest basics, such as food. Shoes are not even on the tail end of many shopping lists. Yet the children must have them! Besides for the obvious – the comfort and necessity of proper footwear, and the pain and discomfort that comes from wearing tight shoes with flapping or holey soles - new shoes represent normalcy. That is one thing that has been severely lacking in Israeli children’s lives this year. Mesamche Lev is thrilled to have been able to grant that normalcy, and the dignity and comfort that come along with it, to thirty-two thousand children.

The shoe distribution was part of a massive chalukah that included checks for widows, poultry, dairy products, grocery coupons and more. Donors who enabled the distribution fulfilled their obligation of Kimcha D’Pischa, and earned the great zechus of supporting the poor of Eretz Yisroel during these unprecedented times.

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