25 years to the helicopter disaster, and now there is a danger that a memorial plant in the name of Lieutenant Kobi Ben Shem, who fell in the disaster, will be closed.
"Beit Ham" in Ramat Hasharon, which provides hot meals to the needy every day and helps needy families, was established after the disaster by Kobi's father, Eli Ben Shem, chairman of Yad Labanim, and Rabbi Yehuda Butman of Chabad.
Now, a construction project in the neighborhood is threatening its existence.
Kobi enlisted in the IDF in August 1994 in the Intelligence Corps 'observation unit. After a year, he took an officers' course and at the end was assigned to Lebanon at his request, although he could serve close to home due to the fact that his mother died.
"In the spirit of Bnei Kobi"
Two weeks before his 21st birthday, he fell in a helicopter crash.
During the shiva, his father and Rabbi Botman decided to establish the memorial plant.
"Eli told me at seven that he has a place that is suitable for charitable activities to commemorate his son, so we started operating there," says Rabbi Botman.
"It was a temporary structure, and later we moved to a structure that we operate in to this day."
Eli, Kobi's father, said: "I built the house together with Rabbi Botman in memory of my son. I saw it as a worthy and appropriate commemoration operation. My son could have served close to the house because his mother had died. Despite this, he fought to do significant service, he finished "An officer's course with honors, and the chopper was to go up to a penetrating outpost in southern Lebanon. He served a year as an officer."
He also shared: "The activity of the hot house suited Kobi's path, his spirit. Everyone thinks that Ramat Hasharon is all the millionaires, but there are also people here who have nothing to eat at home, and quite a few. At first we were in my building, and then the municipality gave a structure."
The late Kobi Ben Shem,
Rabbi Botman added: "We decided to produce a solution for the needy. We said: We will establish an association, provide them with clothing, equipment, meals and more. We have become an executive arm of the municipality's welfare department. We provide food, clothing and knowledge - we have a network of classes for children: "Music, sports, computers, Krav Maga and more. We now had a distribution of blankets and stoves. On Purim it is costumes. On Passover it is distribution of food and food stamps, also a public Seder night."
Ben Shem adds: "Rabbi Botman spends hundreds of meals a day. He does 80 percent of the work of the municipality's welfare department."
Due to a construction project in the neighborhood where the hot house operates, it is in danger of closing.
"Now we are building a road, which passes right over the kitchen of the house," explains Ben Shem.
"Later they will have to lower the whole building. A skyscraper is being built there, and the whole neighborhood is undergoing a process of evacuation-construction. It is a pity that we come to such places, because it is a sacred work. This place helps a lot of people. ".
"Injury to the heart of the place"
Rabbi Botman added: "The heart of the place is the hot meals. If you take down the kitchen, you have actually damaged the spine of the whole place. The house is in danger of closing because of the construction project in the city."
The Ramat Hasharon municipality said: “The warm house will remain in its current structure.
A corner of the building will be lowered for the purpose of paving a road as part of the project, for the benefit of families living in old houses.
The municipality, at its expense, is renovating the building to continue the operation of the hot house. "
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