Tonight: First-Time-Ever Heartstrings 13th Avenue Auction

Heartstrings, Mesamche Lev’s upcoming auction and dinner, is very unique, because instead of the typical lineup of prizes ranging from diamonds to dolls, it offers participants the chance to win an entire block on Boro Park’s famous Thirteenth Avenue, with the winner receiving gift certificates to every store on the block. Entry is just ten dollars.

Mesamche Lev is hosting the Heartstrings dinner today at the new Tiferes Rivka Hall on 38^th Street in Boro Park. The dinner is dedicated in memory of the unforgettable Mrs. Esty Paskesz a”h, who epitomized chessed and tzedakah.

The guest speaker, Rebbetzin F. Teitelbaum, wife of Hakadosh Rav Aryeh Leibush Teitelbaum zt”l, Hy”d, who perished al kiddush Hashem in Mumbai, India, will inspire the audience with her story, “From Tragedy to Triumph.” There will also be a special musical presentation, a lavish dinner, and much more. The evening will culminate with the live Heartstrings auction drawing.

Although Heartstrings is a new concept in auctions, Mesamche Lev is a long-established organization, founded in 1971 by Rabbi Zalman Ashkenazi of Williamsburg to help widows, orphans and needy people in Eretz Yisroel. Mesamche Lev is known throughout Eretz Yisroel for its massive shoe distribution, which puts new, high-quality shoes on the feet of 60,000 children. The organization also revolutionized tzedakah giving, by focusing on the dignity of recipients. They devote great effort to allow the poor to feel respectable, despite the circumstances that force them to accept charity.

One example of their focus on dignity is the Mesamche Lev Card, a magnetic strip card that the organization distributes widely before Yomim Tovim. Each card is pre-loaded with a specific amount that families can use to purchase groceries, meat, fish, matzoh, wine, shoes, shirts, and more. The cards allow families the freedom to choose the items they prefer.  Mesamche Lev’s massive Pesach distribution has garnered much media attention. Newspapers in Eretz Yisroel and abroad report on the thousands of people from all over the country who stream into the organization’s massive tent, exiting with everything they need for Yom Tov. What is less reported is the organization’s major efforts on behalf of widows and orphans. Mesamche Lev is a bastion of support for this vulnerable population, and expends much effort in easing their plight, through direct cash assistance, the Orphan Bride Fund, and other programs.

The organization is also unique in that it distributes all donations to the poor. Administrative costs, including the costs associated with the Heartstrings auction and dinner, are covered by private donors.

The Heartstrings auction and dinner allows the Jewish community in America to join forces with Mesamche Lev and make a difference in the lives of our less fortunate brethren in Eretz Yisroel. It also offers participants a chance to participate in the first-ever 13^th Avenue Auction, with winners receiving gift certificates at every participating store on an entire block of 13^th Avenue. There are also magnificent bonus prizes, including a $10,000 shopping spree down Boro Park’s 16^th and 18^th Avenues; a $13,000 Mesamche Lev Replica Package, which pays all Yom Tov expenses for a full year; and a $15,000 Mega Cash Giveaway. The auction is open to all. Winners who do not reside in Boro Park and its immediate environs will receive free car service and a free night at the Avenue Plaza Hotel, located on Thirteenth Avenue in Boro Park, so that they can shop in comfort.

To order Heartstrings auction entries, or to learn more about Heartstrings, call 877.686.1313.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}