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 ”  NISSAN 5768 APRIL 2008 55 that household by assuring that they are taken care of for as long as needed. In effect, each family is given personalized atten - tion, so that the support is received on an individual basis in an effort to make sure that each case is followed through effi - ciently. The staff is comprised of volunteers, all of whom are motivated to help because they strongly believe in the cause and are aware of how well the charity is run. The grants provided are evaluated according to necessity, with families receiving anywhere from 20,000 to as much as 200,000-300,000 shekels, in accordance with the Rabbis’ decision. Some of these strug - gling families are even provided with a set amount each month, some 2,000 shekels, to cover living expenses incurred upon necessity, that are unaffordable due to circumstances beyond their control. The personal situation of each family is reassessed each month to accommodate any changes that may have taken place. Unfortunately, the extent of these difficulties is consider - able, as last year alone Kupat Ha’ir provided critical financial assistance to no less than 2,882 families. As many as 43 percent of these cases involve working families, demonstrating that there is little difference between those who devote their time to learning and those who find employment. Kupat Ha’ir does not discriminate between different sets of circumstances, nor does it differentiate between Sephardim and Ashkenazim. Instead, as per the instructions of Rav Kanievsky shelit”a , anyone living in Eress Yisrael who is shomer Shabbat, Torah u’misvot , can receive assistance from Kupat Ha’ir. METICULOUS RABBINIC OVERSIGHT Kupat Ha’ir is endorsed by the nation’s leading Rabbis, including the Rabbis of the Sephardic communities in both the United States and Israel, and is headed by Rav Chaim Kanievsky shelit”a , Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman shelit”a , Rav Yechiel Michel Lefkovitz shelit”a , Rav Shemuel Wosner shelit”a , and Rav Nissim Karelitz shelit”a , all of whom serve as the official members of the organization as registered with the State of Israel. It is they who oversee all the daily activities that are crucial to the organization’s success and assume all associated responsibilities. These Rabbis are the ones who hold the authority to directly sign the checks given to these families, one of Kupat Ha’ir’s many distinctive characteristics that set it apart from other organizations. Nearly every step taken is done under the direct guidance and supervision of the Rabbis, and the charity was designed from the ground up according to the best halachic practices. At the end of each day, Rav Kanievsky shelit”a is given a daily report of all funds collected as well as of the money spent by Kupat Ha’ir for the needy families, which he carefully reviews to ensure that the activities are run properly. Harav Kanievsky shelit”a encourages donations from the entire Jewish community by explicitly declaring that “whoever donates to Kupat Ha’ir will be privileged to behold overt mira - cles.” This has indeed led to the donation of funds by hundreds of thousands of people who have earned great merit through their contributions, which measure up to the most praiseworthy ways of giving charity. Kupat Ha’ir records these donations on a daily basis and relays the names of the donors to the great Rabbis, who pray on their behalf for blessings and Hashem’s compassion. Rav Kanievsky shelit”a has additionally expressed Rishon L’Sion Hacham Ovadia Yosef shlita Rishon L’Sion Hacham Shlomo Amar