Our Founder

Reb Yidel Blumenberg of Boro Park traveled to Eretz Yisroel to spend Lag Ba’Omer at the kever of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. While walking in the streets of Yerushalayim, he saw a familiar face — Mordechai Weiss*, a chavrusah from his Eretz Yisrael yeshiva days. Reb Yidel approached his friend and happily began reminiscing about their days in Yeshiva. As their conversation turned to current times, Mordechai’s face paled and his smile was replaced with pain and hopelessness. Reb Yidel was shocked to see his usually upbeat friend in such anguish. “Baruch Hashem, I have a home filled with children. However, it is devoid of food. My children go to sleep hungry,” he confided. Clearly, the suffering that his family was undergoing was getting to him.

An apple for dinner

“Yesterday’s dinner was an apple,” Mordechai said, with tears in his eyes. “Not one apple per person. We shared one apple between all the family members. We had to cut it into multiple slices so that everyone got a piece.” His voice started to crack. Reb Yidel had no further questions. “Let’s go to the grocery,” he said.

The first act of chesed by M’farnes

After dragging Mordechai to the store, Reb Yidel urged him to fill up a shopping cart. “Hurry, your family must eat!” Too weak to protest, he accepted the offer and rushed to fill the cart with groceries, in abundance. That day his children had their first nourishing meal in years. Unbeknownst to both, this would be the first act of chesed in the storied successes of M’farnes.