On the 22 Shevat 5748, February 10, 1988, the Rebbe returned from the funeral of his wife of 60 years, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, led afternoon prayers and recited Kaddish in their home on President Street in Brooklyn. The Rebbe’s profound sadness was palpable, his pain indescribable.
That afternoon, the Rebbe immediately channeled his personal loss into a project of global good by forming a charitable foundation as a living memorial for his beloved wife.
The Rebbe named the fund “KEREN HACHOMESH,“ an acronym for “Harabanit Chaya Mushka Schneerson,” serving a variety of causes, primarily educational and social services for women and girls.
When speaking about the yahrzeit at a public address, the Rebbe asked that donations be made in the Rebbetzin’s memory in amounts equivalent to the numerical value of the Rebbetzin’s Hebrew name: 470.
Over the years, KEREN HACHOMESH has faithfully stayed the course of benefiting women and girls with financial aid, support for brides, widows and a host of women’s educational programs and other causes.
With the extraordinary and unparalleled onslaught of the pandemic, we were confronted with increased demands for funding which soared exponentially. Keren Hachomesh assisted hundreds of families in dire need of basic food staples, collaborated with food banks and continued our regular support for brides and grooms, expectant and new mothers, widows, orphans, and mikvah building.
With businesses still hurting and breadwinners still out of work, Keren Hachomesh is struggling to keep up with all those who have turned to the Keren in their hour of need.
Keren Hachomesh is running an online fundraiser in which every donation is doubled by generous matchers.
Please visit www.KerenHaChomesh.org and use the occasion of the Rebbetzin’s yahrzeit to honor her legacy with a generous gift to the fund that carries her name.
