Yachad's programs bring Jewish volunteers into communities that they might otherwise never visit, to work alongside people they might otherwise never meet.  The volunteers change lives, cross boundaries and form interfaith and interracial relationships while transforming Washington area homes and neighborhoods.  Every project has a story; here are a few that highlight how b'yachad -- together -- we're building bridges by building communities.

• Kemp Mill Synagogue was new to the program this year and showed incredible devotion and commitment to the cause.  They repaired many parts of a the home of a Kensington woman with disabilities.  Building in extra support on her furniture so her injured back could be better supported, landscaping, exterior painting and fixing plumbing and installing grab bars in the bathroom were just some of the many things the Kemp Mill volunteers worked on so that the homeowner and her grandchildren could enjoy their home.  Special congrats to Jack Porat, the house captain, for his enthusiasm and menschhood throughout the process!

                                                                       -Roger Rothman

               (Veteran co-house captain of Temple Beth Ami and Shaare Torah house)

Temple Beth Ami and Shaare Torah Congregation teamed up to do an amazing amount of work on a home in Montgomery County this year. Walls of a bath/shower stall were torn out and replaced, a new tub surround was installed, as well as new plumbing, two new faucets and a vanity -- and this was just in the bathrooms!  Painting, cleaning, getting rid of mold, fixing flooding in the yard and much more were accomplished as well.  The volunteers also donated flowers and mulch and redid the entire landscape of the yard.

• Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation modified a house for a low-income homeowner with severe physical needs.  With the help of over 50 volunteers, they reconstructed the bathroom so it would be more easily accessed and made the dining room into a bedroom so the homeowner would no longer need to use the stairs of the house.  Professionals donated their time to restore the electricity to and install new light fixtures in several rooms, and the house was also painted, patched, and reorganized for more comfortable living.                                                                 

• A D.C. homeowner, 79, suffers from diabetes, arthritis and high blood pressure among other ailments, but they don’t stop her from keeping a tidy and cheerful home on Capitol Hill. But those complaints did prevent her from entering and leaving her house by the front door. Two short staircases lead to her front porch. The first staircase—seven steps from the street to the front yard—lacked a railing, so she had to come and go through the back door, down an alley and around the block. Not the end of the world, but a hassle. She also made do without other safety features.

Temple Micah and Tiffereth Israel took on this homeowner's house as their joint Sukkot-in-April project, accomplished a variety of plumbing, electrical and carpentry jobs and painted her living room and front hall/stairway. But safety and mobility was a central focus, so the Micah-Tiffereth team installed a banister on the basement stairs and grab bars in the bathroom.

House Captain Ed Grossman undertook the railing as his special task. A wrought iron handrail would have cost more than $1,000, way over budget. So Grossman fashioned a railing from galvanized pipe set in concrete and painted shiny black. Two Micah volunteers, Richard Lahne and Matt Cutler, constructed the railing in a few hours on Sukkot-in-April Sunday, April 29. Total cost: less than $40.        

Now this homeowner enters by the front door.

     

                                                    -by Shelley Grossman

                          (veteran co-captain of Temple Micah-pictured above)

If you were there and have photos and stories-send them in!

       

Hard Hats and Helping Hands Home Repair (5H)

Building contractors and skilled tradespeople working with Yachad's 5-H program contribute their skill, labor and, often, materials to repairing the home of a lower income Washington area homeowner. 

      In the fall of 2006, Yachad introduced John Eichberg and Carolyn Brady, project manager for Eichberg Construction, to two District homeowners in real need of help to repair serious problems at their homes where both have lived for over three decades.  Yachad’s hope was that John and Carolyn would see the problems in these houses and choose one to take on as Eichberg Construction’s Hard Hats and Helping Hands Home Repair project.  Much to our surprise and delight, John called and said, “We’re doing both houses. “

“My prayers have been answered by Yachad,” said the first of the homeowners upon hearing the news that her roof would finally be replaced and the home she shares with her children, her two grandchildren and, through the years, many other community youths who needed a place to live, repaired. She had seen her fair share of hardships in her 35 years under this roof.  She survived her late husband and oldest daughter, underwent treatment for cancer, and struggled to make payments on her home and on her medical care.  Under this roof she had also cooked Thanksgiving feasts for all of her family and friends year after year, rejoiced on the birth of her great grandchildren, and retired from her career as a managing chef for Marriot Catering and The National Cathedral School.  Now, the roof had failed, she was unable to keep the repairs up and rain water began leaking into the ceilings and the bedrooms upstairs.     

     Thanks to the work of Eichberg Construction, she celebrated the holiday season with a new roof, repaired ceilings and walls, fresh paint, safe electrical, and working plumbing. 

     The second homeowner had lived in her home for over two decades. Legally blind, the homeowner still knew where all the cracks were in the walls due to roof leaks and that her oven no longer worked due to a faulty and dangerous malfunction. Enter Carolyn Brady, again.  Carolyn arranged for a new oven to be delivered and installed and coordinated the installation of a new roof, followed by drywall patching and a fresh coat of paint will cover cracks, and new ceiling light fixtures.  Mrs. Travis was delighted to be able to comfortably invite guests to her home to celebrate the holidays. 

Ramp it Up! -- with Yachad

     Yachad's Ramp it Up teens spend a week in the summer building a ramp for a Washington-area homeowner with disabilities while learning about poverty, affordable housing, living with disabilities and the Jewish values underlying our community's commitment to tikkun olam. 

This summer was a great success.  A 70 year-old District resident who suffered from a stroke , is now able to access her home like she hasn't been able to for too long.  Her daughter arranged for Yachad's Ramp it Up program to do all the work and the new ramp was a surprise to the homeowner.  Just like on TV!  Read more.

 

 

In the summer of 2006, teens built two ramps, both for young men who had been injured in car accidents.  The men had been unable to exit their homes safely, comfortably, and on their own for years.  As a result, going anywhere other than necessary medical appointments was rare.  With their new ramps, the men can now safely wheel themselves in and out of their homes.  As one of the young men described his newfound independence:  "Recently, I turned 21.  Now, I feel 21!"  His father elaborated in a letter to Yachad:

"Ever since the accident, it’s been difficult maneuvering Gene around the house.   Gene has constant doctor visits….  Getting the right person there to help him [exit the house] proved to be difficult at times so some of his appointments had to be rescheduled….  Maneuvering Gene in and out of the house is now effortless because of your gracious gift.  Not only will the ramp improve efficiency, it will help Gene psychologically because he’ll feel more independent.”    

 

Mitzvah Parties

Celebrating a simcha with a Yachad mitzvah party transforms every celebration into a mitzvah.  And it's fun, too.  In the words of Yachad's first mitzvah party celebrant, "This was my best birthday ever!" 

It was her 52nd birthday, and she was in search of a unique way to celebrate, one that would give back to the community in recognition of all the blessings she'd received in her 52 years.  For the party, she invited friends and family to paint the first floor of the home of a Washington, D.C. mother of two whose home had undergone extensive renovation by professional contractors and volunteers working in Yachad's Hard Hats and Helping Hands Home Repair program.  The homeowner was overwhelmed by the results, and anxious to invite her extended family to join her and the children for Thanksgiving in her refurbished dining room.  The mitzvah party host was most proud of the connections that the guests and homeowner were able to make as they worked side-by-side throughout the day:

“We and the homeowners cleaned, primed, and painted for hours.  Occasionally, I would notice the homeowner sharing a well-deserved break with one of my friends.  The barriers of race, finances, education and culture had been dissolved by a small gesture of kindness.”

   

Faith to Faith Community Development Program

Yachad's Faith to Faith Community Development Program brings together minority churches and Jewish real estate professionals to work side by side developing plans and restoring properties. Yachad calls on skilled Jewish professionals -- architects, builders, attorneys, and engineers-- to donate their time to assist with all phases of development. We provide targeted financial support as a catalyst to seed new development. Yachad has made available more than $100,000 of predevelopment loans and grants to nascent development efforts to provide critically needed funding.  We have worked with nine churches over the past eight years.  Here's a sampling of what Yachad, together with its Faith to Faith church partners have accomplished: 

•                                                                                                           Emory United Methodist Church, located on Georgia Avenue, N.W., created the Beacon of Light Community Development Corporation to serve as a catalyst for community change. The CDC is embarking on a major community revitalization initiative to refurbish a corridor of upper Georgia Avenue, N.W.  During the early years of Yachad’s partnership with the church, congregants from Emory United along with several synagogues and other Jewish volunteers turned the church’s aging parsonage house into a community service center and transitional housing and another church-owned property into a small social hall. More recently, Yachad is working with the CDC and the District government’s Storefront Improvement Program to renovate Georgia Avenue storefronts with the goal of boosting economic development and increasing safety along this major commercial corridor.  

 

• The Living Word Church, located east of the Anacostia River in the District of Columbia's Ward 8, created The Far Southwest/Southeast Community Development Corporation in 1998. In the summer of 2002, the CDC, Yachad and a team of Jewish real estate professionals began the transformation of a blighted, vacant commercial corridor in the community. One year later, Mayor Anthony Williams cut the ribbon to officially open the Tech Zone at 3939 South Capitol Street, SW.   Yachad supported this challenging development with legal and architectural services, fundraising support, including critical no-interest loans, and a final grant. A community eyesore – an abandoned drugstore – was transformed into a thriving community center, with a state of the art video conferencing center and computer training lab, after-school tutoring rooms and other attractive amenities.

• Yachad and the New Covenant Evangelistic Center, New Jersey Avenue, NW, are working together to develop a plan and capacity to transform a city block of blighted buildings into a new church and community center that will include affordable housing and retail.  Pastor Andrew Newell and his wife, Betty, have acquired eight properties along New Jersey Avenue, NW.  Yachad is working with the church to create plans and capacity to develop the sites.  In phase one of the project, Yachad has put together a team of real estate and organizational development specialists to consult with NCEC on a strategic plan and to create a separate development entity.  In the second phase two of the project, Yachad will invite a variety of real estate professionals to tour the properties and share best design and uses of the sites. 

• Mount Carmel Christian Faith Center, located in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and its Olive Branch Community Development Corporation are focused on acquiring and renovating the single-family rowhouses that dominate this wonderful family neighborhood. The objective is to purchase these homes and rent them to low-income families in the community. In the summer of 2003, the church purchased its first rowhouse, two doors away from the church. The home was in need of major repairs to update the kitchen and bath, replace  carpeting, patch cracked drywall and address other safety concerns. Yachad volunteers and church members spent a Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend to stripping the house of old carpet, outdated wall paneling, and old kitchen and bathroom cabinets and fixtures, enabling skilled tradespeople to complete the renovations.  A family of five now calls this house a home.