Still enveloped in the halo of her vort just two weeks before, Hadassah hummed to herself as she walked to her room, visions of lacy gowns and cascading flowers swirling in her mind.
Suddenly, she heard her father’s voice. “I just don’t know how we are going to pull this off,” he was saying to her mother. “We’re maxxed out as it is. I can barely scrape together a down payment for the caterer – never mind sheitels and appliances.”
Hadassah’s hand froze on her doorknob.
“Maybe we can take out a loan…” her mother suggested tremulously. Hadassah silently entered her room, a painful lump in her throat. Guilt and anxiety roiled in her heart. Gone was the blissful kallah of moments before.
How It All Began
Unfortunately, this sad reality is not uncommon. Until three years ago, many of our own Cleveland families struggled to maintain a façade of happiness while feeling crushed by myriad wedding expenses. Every purchase only added to the huge mountain of debt. And so, Simchas Alta Vita was launched by Rabbi Yitzchok Margareten and Rabbi Binyomin Lichtenstein. Dedicated in memory of Mrs. Alta Vita Fried, its goal was, and remains, to restore the joy to kallahs and their families while upholding their dignity. Eligible families – as carefully determined by a Vaad HaRabbanim – receive a kallah package that includes a comprehensive housewares package, a gift certificate to Simcha’s Spectacular, a custom sheitel, and set of beds and dinette set.
Since the organization’s inception, the feedback has been tremendous – far exceeding all expectations.
“We wanted to make sure every kallah feels like a queen,” says Rabbi Binyomin Lichtenstein. “Baruch Hashem, we have seen unbelievable siyatta d’Shmaya through every stage.”
Showroom of Chesed
Imagine walking into a massive department store stocked with top-of- the-line dishes, flatware, bedding, and kitchen gadgets…and filling an entire wagon to your heart’s content with the help of a personal “shopper.”
With Simchas Alta Vita, this dream becomes reality. Each kallah visits the showroom and is able to choose from the many styles and designs attractively displayed.
“My daughter felt on top of the world,” one grateful recipient’s mother enthuses. “Not only was she receiving all these wonderful things, but she got to choose the styles she wanted!”
From linens and tablecloths to pots and pans and vacuum cleaners, the variety is vast. But even more impressive than this magnificent largesse is the absolute dignity accorded to every single kallah.
“One-stop shopping in such a kavodik way!” was how another beneficiary described it. And Rabbi Lichtenstein is always there to guide each family every step of the way, ensuring that everything flows without a hitch.
Bedecking the Kallah
Every kallah deserves to look her best, her parents’ income notwithstanding. Numerous vendors have partnered with Simchas Alta Vita, offering their merchandise at cost price while Simchas Alta Vita picks up the tab. Thanks to the incredible generosity of local sheitel machers Mrs. Fariba Diamond, Mika’s, Mrs. Tzip Sonnenschein, and Mrs. Dassa Munk, each kallah can receive a beautiful sheitel valued at $1,500 (which can be upgraded by following certain guidelines). Moving right along to a sheva brachos wardrobe, the kallah receives a $900 gift certificate to Simcha’s Spectacular to be used by the kallah, her mother, and unmarried siblings for any purchase related to the wedding. As far as furnishing the young couple’s home, Chasdei Chashie of Brooklyn offers two quality
beds and an elegant dinette set. What’s left to say but… Mi k’amcha Yisrael! “It was because of the generosity of the donors in Cleveland that our daughter was able to feel as a kallah should,” a kallah’s parents wrote movingly.
The Ultimate Joy
While Simchas Alta Vita strives to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas kallah in the most splendid way possible, its long-term vision extends far beyond the night of the wedding. It’s not merely the contribution of a sheitel or an iron, but the priceless gift of serenity and peace of mind. It is Simchas Alta Vita’s fervent hope that by alleviating much financial stress, every kallah will embark upon her journey toward a bayis ne’eman b’Yisrael with undiluted joy – and create Torah-true generations worthy of Hashem’s pride.
Simchas Alta Vita by the Numbers
- $6,000 – Total value of a Kallah Package
- $3,000 – Kallah Package sponsorship
- 25-30 – Kallahs assisted yearly
- $100,000 – Approximate annual budget
Housewares Package:
- 2 sets of Corelle
- 2 sets of flatware
- 2 pillows
- 2 blankets
- 2 dust ruffles
- 2 mattress pads
- 1 fine set of linen
- 1 standard set of linen
- 1 Shabbos tablecloth
- 2 sets of pots and pans
- 1 iron
- 1 4-slice toaster oven
- 1 upright vacuum cleaner
- 1 microwave oven
For more information, please call Rabbi Binyomin Lichtenstein (216) 225-8655
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