Our Founder

Nearly a decade ago, Rabbi Yehuda Blumenberg – an unassuming Brooklyn rabbi – was shocked when he heard from friends in Eretz Yisroel about the situation in their apartments. These upstanding, hardworking parents had literally nothing to feed their children. “One friend told me that the family split an apple for dinner the previous night,” Rabbi Blumenberg recounts,”and didn’t even have that much for breakfast the next morning”

Rabbi Blumenberg began collecting funds on a low-profile basis to help these families. It did not take long until he discovered just how prevalent hungry large families are in Eretz Yisroel. There was a desperate need to do more. And so, in 2017, he founded the M’farnes organization.

How M’farnes Works

Following a through screening process under the guidance of rabbanim, families receive a card that is refilled monthly with a stipend based on the family size. These cards can be used at M’farnes affiliated grocery stores, fruit stores, butcher shops and fish stores as a credit card.In addition to the monthly stipends, M’farnes also holds special distributions before major Yomim Tovim, helping hundreds of additional families put food on the table during these costly seasons.

Real Life Story

A rebbi in a prominent Cheder in Yerushalayim was bewildered. One of his top students was going downhill fast. He was no longer participating in class and he looked worn out. The rebbi discussed this predicament with his colleague who taught a class two grades younger. To their mutual shock, this student’s younger brother showed an identical pattern – even having trouble seeing with his eyes.

When spoken to directly, the boys broke down in tears but refused to share details. After more investigation, the rabbeim discovered that there was barely any food at home and the situation was getting worse by the day. An ophthalmologist confirmed that the younger brother’s vision issues were due to malnutrition.

The rabbeim immediately contacted M’farnes, which began feeding the family. In no time, the boys were back to normal!