Following the highly successful U.S. trip, N’shei Keren Hashviis brought its program to England last week, where it inspired crowds of women across the spectrum, from Golder’s Green to Stamford Hill to Manchester. Farmers’ wives Ilana and Chagit shared their stories and gave women an up close and personal understanding of what it means to keep Shmitah.

The trip started with a packed Sunday night event in Golder’s Green.  Women became very emotional as they watched the video about the lives of Shmitah farmers and lined up for brachos from Ilana and Chagit.  The event was so successful that, on the spot, an additional event was organized for the following evening in Stamford Hill.

“Why don’t they just do Heter Mechira like everyone else?” she asked. “Why do we need to support them for doing nothing all year?”

As she was about to leave, Ilana approached her, and they spoke for a long time.  Afterwards, the woman came over to the N’shei Keren Hashviis representative, and said emotionally.  “Thank you for bringing this to us.  I never understood what Shmitah was until now.  You’ve opened a whole new world to me!”

As she made a donation of 365 pounds, she added, “You MUST tell other women about this!”

It wasn’t only the audiences who were inspired; the inspiration went the other way as well.  In Manchester, one woman came over to the N’shei representative to ask for a bracha from one of the farmers’ wives.  She showed the representative her certificate from Keren Hashviis that she’d adopted a farm.  She told the representative that in order to come up with the 7,500 pounds, they’d remortgaged their house.

“My husband felt strongly that we need to support Shmitah,” she said. “That we had to do our part to bring the Geula.”

Aside from the events for women, the N’shei came to two girls’ high schools, each of whom had undertaken to raise money for the N’shei Keren Hashviis fund.  In Tiferes High School, the girls held a raffle, while in Menorah High School, each girl received 5 pounds to invest in some way in order to raise money.  Some girls baked and sold cookies; others bought cleaning supplies and ran car washes, and more.

Many other schools were eager to bring the N’shei Keren Hashviis event to their girls as well. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time on this trip, but, seeing the enthusiastic reception, plans for a future trip to England are already in the works.

N’shei Keren Hashviis is a separate women’s division of Keren Hashviis, whose goal is to connect women around the world to the mitzvah of Shmitah, by providing support, both emotional and financial, to the heroic farmers and their wives.  The Keren Hashviis stipends cover about forty percent of the farmers’ budget, and tend to go towards the big expenses in maintaining a farm – the land lease, mortgage, equipment rentals and more. All too often, there’s nothing left for the wives to cover their basic household expenses – food, clothing, utilities.

The N’shei Keren Hashviis’s goal is to raise $2.5 million to open a fund to help farmers’ families pay for their household expenses.  A place for farmers’ wives to turn to when they have no money to pay their grocery bill or to buy their child a new pair of shoes.

If thousands of women around the world donate just one dollar a day, together, we can give our farmers the financial support they need to last out the year.  More importantly, we can show them that the women of Klal Yisrael are here to support them!