Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, who seemed to be everywhere at once
Joining the askanim and first responders who headed to the scene was a middle-aged man in a suit, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, who seemed to be everywhere at once, ordering city electricians and plumbers to repair private systems, sanitation workers to salvage and clean the homes, and social workers to deal with the vulnerable inhabitants.
But in the eyes of Chaim V’Chessed CEO, Paysach Freedman, what made the mayor’s involvement special was something else. Rabbi Freedman, whose organization had been marshaled to work with the many English-speaking families in the neighborhood — many of whom were literally homeless, with no family nearby — noticed a huge truckload of fresh pizzas from a kosher restaurant.
Locals, who’d been suddenly thrust from their homes and hadn’t eaten in hours, were grateful, and Rabbi Freedman first assumed the food was sponsored by the eatery, or maybe one of the chesed organizations. But it turned out the mayor had ordered the plentiful refreshments, paying out of his own pocket.
Against that backdrop, Rabbi Freedman appreciated a comment made this week when Chaim V’Chessed presented the mayor with a gift, recognizing his dedicated work on that dreadful morning.
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