The Lev Israel Shabbat Program Fund
Gifts to this fund are being matched
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About this fund
The Lev Israel Shabbat Program
IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER RABBI EZRA BEN GAULA A”H
HELP US TO CONTINUE
Inspire keeping Shabbat and a Meaningful Jewishing teenage boys Life
The Lev Israel Shabbat Program works with post-high school young men, primarily from New York, London, and Miami, who come to Israel for a year for yeshivah. Many of them arrive with little background in Jewish observance, and even those who grew up religious may be struggling after having “fallen off the path.”
At the same time, they face the many challenges of today’s world: addictions to phones, social media, vaping, and especially marijuana, which has sadly become normalised in today’s society.
Rav Polaks Shabbat program offers exactly that — a warm, safe, non-judgmental space to rediscover not only Shabbat, but themselves.
Every Shabbat, we host a two and a half hour learning session, where the boys are constantly engaged in learning. The class is always served with smoked meats, jerky’s, drinks, snacks and so much more just to add joy and flavor to the experience, and make Shabbat something they are waiting for the whole week.
Voices from the Boys
“Now I look forward to Shabbat all week.”
“I never knew Shabbat could be so enjoyable.”
“If I can disconnect from all my addictions once a week, I know I can beat them for good.”
“This was my gateway into the religious world.”
“Since I started keeping Shabbat, my entire week feels better.”
Parents also report seeing dramatic changes. Some even begin keeping Shabbat themselves after seeing the transformation in their sons.
Years later, many of these boys go on to build strong Jewish homes, grounded in Torah, warmth, and Shabbat.
A Great Merit – A Lasting Impact
The Lev Israel Shabbat Program is more than just a class — it’s a life-changing experience.
In a generation full of noise, confusion, and distraction, this program gives young men one day of peace, depth, and connection.
From there, they build a foundation for a life of meaning, direction, and Jewish pride.
The Lev Israel Shabbat Program Fund is a program of Rekonect, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN 82-4750961). Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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Morris Srour
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Jacob Abadi
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Jacob Saban
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Moshe Levy
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Questions donors ask
A Community Support Fund (CSF) is a grassroots fundraising program hosted by Rekonect. Each CSF is run by an independent organizer raising money for a specific cause they care about, with Rekonect providing the legal, financial, and technical infrastructure to make it possible. Donations to a CSF go to Rekonect, which then disburses the funds to support the cause according to the program’s purpose. This model lets organizers focus on the work itself rather than the overhead of starting and running a nonprofit from scratch.
Rekonect is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sponsors grassroots fundraising programs. You can read more about us in our mission and manifesto. Every CSF goes through a vetting process before going live: we verify the organizer’s identity, review the cause description for legitimacy and alignment with our mission, and conduct a post-approval onboarding call to confirm the program’s scope and operations. Causes that pass vetting are hosted on our platform; those that don’t, aren’t.
Yes, for US taxpayers. Rekonect is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN 82-4750961), and donations are deductible to the extent allowed by US law. Tax deductibility applies to US donors only — we do not currently offer Israeli or other foreign tax-deductible giving. You will receive a tax receipt by email immediately after your donation, and all your receipts are also available in your donor account.
Rekonect deducts a 2% administrative fee and a 6.5% platform fee, which covers its cost of the BrightLeaf Giving platform that runs CSFs. Credit card processing fees are 3.5%, and donors have the option to cover the processing and platform fees at checkout. We keep these costs as low as we can while still operating responsibly, and every fee is disclosed transparently rather than hidden in the math.
Donations are held by Rekonect and disbursed against documented requests from the CSF organizer. Vendor payments require invoices, stipends require electronically signed agreements, and direct grants require an attestation of need from the recipient. Every disbursement is capped at $10,000 and requires approval from both Rekonect and our platform partner before funds are released. This structure ensures that money moves only against verified requests for purposes consistent with the CSF’s stated mission.
We accept Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) grants and wire transfers in addition to credit card and ACH donations. Stock and check donations are not currently supported. Full instructions for each accepted donation method are available directly on the donation form — select your preferred method and the form will guide you through the next steps.
Yes. Recurring donations are available on a monthly basis — select the recurring option on the donation form when you give. To change the amount, pause, or cancel a recurring donation, email us at the address listed on our contact page and we’ll handle it promptly. Self-service management of recurring donations through the donor account is on our roadmap.
Yes to both. The donation form includes a dedication field where you can mark your gift in honor of, in memory of, or in celebration of someone, with an optional message. You can also choose to send the honoree an e-card acknowledging your gift. To give anonymously, select the anonymous option on the donation form — your information will still reach the program for receipt purposes, but your name won’t appear in public donor listings.
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A donor account is optional but useful. It gives you faster checkout on future gifts, access to your full giving history and tax receipts in one place, and a record of any dedications you’ve made. Additional features — including saved payment methods and self-service management of recurring donations — are on our roadmap. Account creation is free and takes about a minute.
Questions about this fund?
Message the organizer of The Lev Israel Shabbat Program Fund directly.