Since the days before the establishment of the State of Israel, the country has relied on the support of Jewish communities in the diaspora.
However, the funds collected abroad were mostly directed toward building state institutions and establishing national infrastructure. Over the years, Israel's governmental welfare systems have weakened, and much of the country’s social aid activity has been transferred to NGOs and civil society organizations.
This has led to a situation where the responsibility for assisting those in need and reducing social gaps now rests largely in the third sector, rather than the state.
The late Henry Orenstein, a Holocaust survivor who experienced hunger during the Holocaust, could not accept a reality in which needy families in the Jewish state lacked sufficient food.
A committed Zionist, a Jewish American businessman, Henry viewed the strengthening of Israel, economically, socially, and educationally, as a paramount objective. In his vision, building a strong and moral society was integral to the resilience of the state.
Already in the 1980s, Henry and Susie Orenstein initiated the establishment of support frameworks for vulnerable populations. They founded "the Orenstein Home" to provide housing for Holocaust survivors in Kiryat Ono, in cooperation with (then) Mayor Avigdor Varsha.
In the same years, they also opened a soup kitchen for the needy in the US and purchased an apartment building to provide housing for Holocaust survivors in the US.
Henry was an extraordinary figure and became a legend in his own lifetime. Arriving in the United States as a penniless refugee, he built himself up from scratch and became one of the world’s leading toy entrepreneurs.
In the 1950s, Henry founded "Topper Toys," a company that produced toys which became highly popular in the United States: dolls named Dolly Surprise and Susy Cute, as well as toy cars called Johnny Lightning.
He was known as "the father of the Transformers (Robotricks)", being the first to recognize the potential of the Transformers toys, acquire the rights to them, and turn them into a global success.
Later, he developed a technological patent that revolutionized televised poker, transforming it into a worldwide cultural phenomenon and becoming a member of "the Poker Hall of Fame".
Despite their great success, Henry and Susie remained modest people, always keeping the well-being of the community and the needs of the underprivileged at the forefront of their actions. Through their close friends in Israel, Abraham and Sarah Silberstein, they sought to continue contributing to Israeli society.
One notable example was Henry’s initiative to fund the renovation of "the Orenstein Spinal Rehabilitation Department" in "Beit Lowenstein Rehabilitation Hospital" in Ra'anana, a phenomenal institution owned by "Clalit Health Services", that I am honored to serve as Chairman of its friends' association.
Henry's initial donation inspired further contributions, ultimately leading to the renovation of the entire hospital. Following the Israel-Hamas War, the hospital was fully equipped and ready to treat the wounded, an achievement born from Henry’s deep commitment to Israel’s social future.
Being the only daughter of his close friends in Israel, Henry convinced Advocate Yonit Raviv (Silberstein) to leave her position as in-house counsel for Partner Communication and to establish "the Orenstein Project" in Israel – a nonprofit organization with a generous donation from "the Henry & Carolyn Sue Orenstein Foundation".
The organization supplies hundreds of thousands of meals every year
The organization works in partnership with local authorities, schools, NGOs, and other organizations to expand, strengthen, and promote meaningful education and welfare programs throughout Israel, supplying hundreds of thousands of meals every year.
Today, the organization supports thousands of children and youth, some in educational frameworks it initiated and others through collaborations with various partners. The organization also supports hundreds of Holocaust survivors and vulnerable populations across the country.
Following the October 2023 war, "the Orenstein Project" launched the "Orenstein Houses": after-school educational centers in the south of Israel, the Sha'ar HaNegev region (near the Gaza border) and Bnei Ayish (near Ashdod), and soon in northern Israel as well.
These centers provide youth with a supportive environment, tools to build self-confidence, process complex life experiences, develop a sense of personal and social capability, and prepare for a better future.
"The Orenstein Project" is more than a memorial; it is the fulfillment of a social-Zionist vision that places human dignity at the center, hoping to ensure that in the Jewish state, no child and no elderly person is hungry and left behind.
Erez Meltzer is the chairman of The Friends Association of Beit Lowenstein Rehabilitation Hospital.