Keren Lev Yisrael

This is a post I had meant to write a while back. For whatever reasons, I kept pushing it off, and then forgetting and only remembering at inconvenient times. But I wanted to get this post in before Rosh Hashana.

Keren Lev Yisrael is a local tzedaka organization. They are a sub-division of the Kupa shel RBSA. I don't know exactly what they do and what is in their realm rather than being done under the name of the Kupa, but it doesn't really make a difference..

Keren Lev Yisrael has arranged, over the past few months, large sales of vegetables at much lower prices than anything being sold in the local stores. The goal is to provide savings to the local residents, by buying in bulk and cutting out the middlemen and overhead of the supermarkets. The result is tremendous savings passed on to the residents.

While at first it started out pretty ad hoc and a balagan, they have improved the system tremendously, and they have gone from just fruits and vegetables to also basic goods (disposable plates, baking pans, etc.) and even meats and chickens for the holidays. Now instead of showing up with pushing and shoving as it worked originally with a first come first served attitude, now you order in advance, you show up and pay and walk around and get handed your stuff as you pass the different stations.

The savings are tremendous and are a big help to everybody. The more people that buy, the better the pricing they can get. That helps different people - there is not a single person int he neighborhood who would not benefit form the cheaper prices, even if it is not crucial. If I am now spending 70NIS less per week at the supermarket, that can go towards other things. For the holidays, with the increased purchases, my savings are probably in the range of a couple hundred shekels per week. In addition, with my buying from them, those who are needy are also getting better pricing and the savings for them are even more important.

I know some people are against such sales, as it harms local businesses. I understand the point, but I disagree with it. I see no need for such loyalty to the stores. They are mostly not run by local people, and if local people can benefit from cheaper pricing, I prefer the local benefit rather than the loyalty to chain supermarkets that do everything they can to raise prices and take as much of our money as they can. The supermarkets never showed us loyalty, as they use every possible opportunity to raise their prices (nothing wrong with that, it is business), so I see no reason I have to show them such loyalty.

Also, I see nothing wrong with some competition. Since these sales started, the supermarkets have introduced "Shuk Day" where they lower the prices a couple says a week.

It might harm the local makolets a bit, but I see nothing wrong with some competition. And anyway, the local makolets are not basing their business on fruit and vegetable sales, which is the main part of these sales.

So before Rosh Hashana I want to say thank you to keren Lev Yisrael for the tremendous service they are providing to RBS residents in helping us out with significant savings on our grocery bills.