Shifra and Pua Celebrates Growth at Gala Dinner in Crown Heights

On Sunday night, 15 Teves, over 650 women participated in the annual Shifra and Puah dinner in Crown Heights. Soft Chassidic melodies greeted the hundreds of women from all over Crown Heights who came to support this incredible organization. Held in Oholai Torah, the excitement for this unique event could be felt in the air.

Chasidic star Rabbi Berel Tzucker gave a beautiful musical performance which culminated in the singing of שיינעם חלום; in a special Hakel style. At the end of his performance, Mrs. Bracha Sternberg approached the podium and warmly welcomed the hundreds of participants.

Mrs. Stenberg shared the connection between Shifra and Puah’s activities in Crown Heights to this week’s Parsha. She noted how it speaks about the original Shifra and Puah and how these two incredible women, with thanks to their holy work as midwives, received Hashem’s blessing.

Mrs. Leah Hendel, one of the organization’s directors, recited the Rebbe and Rebbetzin’s chapters of Tehillim and finished with the reciting of Yechi. Immediately afterward, the women watched video clips of the Rebbes Sichos regarding Torah, prayer, and charity.

The videos showed the Rebbe inspiring women in the matters of Hakhel and having children. The video ended with moving moments of encouragement from the Rebbe, including the singing of Yechi.

The moderator, Mrs. Maggie Rogatsky, invited Mrs. Esther Sternberg, who had the honor of being close to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin, to speak about the Rebbetzin’s involvement in providing assistance to her after birth. “Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka was like Shifra and Puah to me. She worried for me after birth and worked on my behalf,” Mrs. Sterneberg explained. “Today, in the Shchuna, we have the Shifra and Puah organization which follows in the footsteps of Yocheved and Miriam, the Tzadikot, and helps all the mothers in the community during that critical period after birth.”

The activities of Shifra and Puah save lives. In a beautiful and moving video production, different women talk about the importance of the support and assistance provided by the Shifra and Puah organization after childbirth. Mothers who received aid from Shifra and Puah shared emotional stories about the difficulties they experienced and how Shifra and Puah was their lifeline during those challenging moments.

Mrs. Bracha Sternberg went on to share the enormous scope of the organization’s activities. “Many people think that Shifra and Puah only distribute breakfasts to mothers. This in itself is an amazing and large-scale activity. However, the reality is that the Shifra and Puah organization provides postpartum mothers with so many services that support
them after having a baby, that it is difficult to understand how one can manage without them.”

Shifra and Puah provides breakfasts for mothers delivered directly to their doorsteps for two whole weeks! They also provide cleaning help, support groups for young mothers, subsidized lactation consultants, Shabbos meals and more.

They work hand in hand with Mothers of Crown Heights and Bikur Cholim to help with babysitting services and subsidized recovery homes. Their future plans include assistance with costs toward the support of a Doula as well as postpartum emotional aid.

The numbers from this past year were shared regarding the activities of Shifra and Puah. The attendees were amazed to hear that in addition to the 8,400 breakfasts that were distributed to postpartum women, the Shifra and Puah organization organized 5,000 hours of childcare and 4,200 hours of cleaning help. On top of the household help provided, Shifra and Puah distributed 1,500 Shabbat meals and provided 300 nights in a home for postpartum mothers in the last year!

As the momentous evening continued, Berel Zucker returned to the stage for a moving performance of his original new song titled, ‘Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael.’ At the end of the song, the hall darkened, and a moving video appeared on the screens telling the story of Shifra and Puah. It describes the moving story of the Alter Rebbe who went to help a woman in labor in the midst of Yom Kippur and how the Rebbe, Melech Hamoshiach, who was also in the midst of Yom Kippur instructed the establishment of the organization of Shifra and Puah “that will help every woman giving birth, without distinction between rich and poor.” The song paints the beautiful story of the establishment of Shifra and Puah in Crown Heights by the organization Chabad Women for Hebrew Speakers.’

Women for Women
Then Rabbi Zalman Goldstein spoke on behalf of the fundraising for the organization. He explained that unlike in the past, where dinners were fundraising events, this dinner’s purpose was to recruit people who will be active and caring partners in this organization. “We don’t ask that you donate money, but we do ask that you donate your abilities and use your connections with people closest to you for the sake of the organization.”

The women, who feel like partners in the organization and saw that the organization has doubled its activity tenfold in recent years and needs financial resources, happily joined in and took on a goal. The commitments ranged from $770 – to finance one birth, to $7,700 to finance ten births, and so on.

The commitments of women in the audience were visible on the screen. One by one, the commitments increased – from adopting one mother, to three mothers, and even five mothers. Some women, who feel a deep partnership with the organization, took on a commitment to obtain an amount of $7,700 dollars, to cover the services for ten mothers in the coming year.

The increasing numbers appeared on the screen when Mrs. Chani Farkash, went to the stage to thank the dozens of volunteers. She expressed her gratitude by pledging to obtain funding for one hundred (!) postpartum mothers in the amount of $77,000!

Women who experienced incredible amounts of help, thanks to the wonderful activities of Shifra and Puah, went on stage and shared their personal stories with the audience. At the end of their stories, they announced their contributions of large sums to benefit Shifra and Puah.

At the conclusion of the evening, the organizers thanked everyone who was involved in the production of this wonderful evening – starting with the managers of Shifra and Puah Mrs Shlomit Slapochnik, Mrs Michla Segal and Mrs Chani Farkash. The dedicated volunteers who are the foundation of the organization. Mrs Chaya Roitblat, Mrs Malka Michla Perlow, Mrs Miriam Goldschmidt and Junior Neshei who joined five years ago the Shifra and Puah team. The production team who put together an amazing event BM production, Mrs Leah Hendel, Mrs Devori Reinitz, Mrs Shlomit Slapochnik, Mrs Michla Segal, Mrs Chani Farkash, Mrs Bracha Sternberg, Mrs Chani Cohen, Mrs Esty Prus, Mrs Shevi Biton and Mrs Sara Kozlovsky, Mrs Margalit Chodaytov and Mrs. Maggie Rogatsky.

Many thanks to Rivkin Media for the inspiring videos and Crown Catering for the gourmet meal served, Master Lighting Productions for state of the art lighting, audio and video services, R’ Chaim and Devori Jerufi from Debby event design, and the dozens of women and girls who took care of all the little details. The hundreds of women who entered the hall as guests of Shifra and Puah left at the end as partners and active ambassadors, imbued with a goal to reach the commitment they took upon themselves.
The campaign opened right after the dinner and will end on Thursday at midnight.

On Monday morning, every family in Crown Heights received the Shifra and Puah campaign booklet, with an announcement about the campaign and includes valuable prizes for large donations, in addition to raffles for a series of interesting items, including a silver cup made with the Rebbe’s coin. There are also gifts without a raffle for those who donate over $1,800 (a siddur in a leather cover made with the fabric of the Rebbetzin), and for those who donate over $3,600 (an artistic Challah cover made with fabric from the Rebbetzin).

You can also join the campaign on the website: https://raisethon.com/spch

VIDEO: Full Replay