About US
Keren Hayeled has been home
to thousands children over 76 years.
The Keren Hayeled home for children in Israel started with Rabbi Yehoshua ztz”l and Rebbetzin Rochel ob”m Godlewsky, back when they escaped the Holocaust to Shanghai, China.
Despite being refugees themselves, with great self-sacrifice they managed to procure a dormitory to shelter lonely refugee children with no family or homes, saving them from the physical dangers of street life, and the accompanying dangers of missionaries.
This dedication, self-sacrifice, and endless care for these children was continued by their children, including their son Rabbi Yosef Godlewsky ztz”l and his wife Rebbetzin Pearl ob”m, who served Keren Hayeled for many decades and and grew Keren Hayeled to a new level.
Today, the founder’s sons, Rabbi David and Meyer Godlewsky, together with other descendants of these incredible people, form the leadership of Keren Hayeled. With 6 locations, we are now a thriving network of homes for children in Israel, providing our Jewish children in crisis with the love, warmth and devotion they so badly need.
Keren Hayeled was founded by Rabbi Yehoshua and Rebbetzin Rochel Godlewsky, who escaped war-torn Europe via Shanghai, China, and survived the Holocaust. In Shanghai, they procured a dormitory for lonely, orphaned Jewish girls, saving them from the streets and missionaries.
The Godlewskys settle in New York where they continue sheltering and caring for needy refugees of the Holocaust, including children with no families and homes.
In 1949, the Godlewsky’s establish Keren Hayeled, an organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged Jewish children in Israel.
Rebbetzin Godlewsky suffers a heart attack. She promises that if she recovers, she will open a home for children from dysfunctional families in Israel’s central region.
In 1982, Rebbetzin Godlewsky fulfills her promise. Keren Hayeled opens a rehabilitative center for girls, serving 10 children in its first year.
Keren Hayeled established a rehabilitative center for boys, a Yeshiva High School with dormitory for boys who have dropped out of conventional educational frameworks, and a community-style living facility, in which children with “extra special needs” live in a family setting.
The public spaces of our dormitory buildings and Family Living Facilities, together with the children’s personal rooms replete with colorful furniture and fresh bedding, all contribute to the comfortable, domestic atmosphere within which the children enjoy their years at Keren Hayeled.
Due to the growing need, Keren Hayeled opens an additional family-style living facility to accommodate more underprivileged children. This facility focuses on giving each child the personalized attention they desperately need.
Keren Hayeled also opens an afternoon recreational center in Pardes Katz. This center provides a nurturing environment to children that cannot thrive at home. Professional therapies, specialized activities, and nutritious meals are given to these children each and every day.
Next, Keren Hayeled opens night lodges in Herzelia and Tel Aviv. These lodges keep troubled adolescent boys off the streets and shelter them in a safe and secure environment. The professional and dedicated staffs at the clubs reach out to these boys with a warm and loving heart as well as teach them about their Jewish heritage.
With its family-style living facilities, rehabilitation homes, recreational center and night lodges, Keren Hayeled serves many hundreds of disadvantaged children throughout Israel, giving each child the love and care they need in order to succeed.
Due to the growing need, Keren Hayeled opens three additional family-type orphanages for a total of six Family Living Facilities and two buildings.
The unique Family Living Facilities are designated to children with particularly difficult backgrounds who need extra care and individualized attention. The facilities each serve 12 children, ages 5-14. They are staffed by a married couple who serve in the role of parents, and by 2 counselors and a social worker. This type of facility is the next best thing to home.
Keren Hayeled opens a home for the graduates of its girl’s school who have nowhere to go, providing a complete training curriculum for various self-supporting occupations.
Keren Hayeled undertakes a huge renovation project to fix up the old dormitories and turn the dilapidated buildings into fresh, renewed spaces designed to serve our children with their specific needs, and provide the resources rooms necessary for their various rehabilitative needs.
We continue working hard to maintain the dorms at the highest standards, keeping them fresh, comfortable, and safe for our children. Our incredible caring and generous donors keep us going.
keren hayeled
is a safe haven.
Children need a warm, loving, and safe home.
But what happens when parents are unable to provide it?
What happens when “home” is scary, dark and cold?
Keren Hayeled is home to over 160 neglected children and orphans in Israel, providing safety, warmth, and family to children who weren’t fortunate enough to be born with it.
keren hayeled
is a safe haven.
Children need a warm, loving, and safe home.
But what happens when parents are unable to provide it?
What happens when “home” is scary, dark and cold?
Keren Hayeled is home to over 160 neglected children and orphans in Israel, providing safety, warmth, and family to children who weren’t fortunate enough to be born with it.
Did you know Rabbi Yehoshua and Rebbetzin Rochel (nee Abramovitz) Godlewsky ztz"l?
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