Gemach "Avi-shai" is one of the most important Poverty Relief Agencies in Kiryat Shemona, on the Lebanese border in the upper Galilee in Israel. Gemach "Avishai" was established in order to provide a partial solution to the problem of unemployment among the population of Kiryat Shemona.
In the first years of the gemach, food products such as fruit and vegetables were distributed to only 30 families. However, since the second Lebanon war which, on the one hand, shook up many families economically in the city, but on the other hand, exposed the gemach to welfare facilities and schools, we have expanded our services. Today, there are over 150 families that receive packages once a month.
On Rosh Hashana, Purim, and Pesach, the number of needy families has grown unfortunately to 200. Those who run the Gemach do not receive a salary for their hard work, and there are no payments or cars. Everything is based on contributions. There are those who contribute financially, while others contribute through their time by organizing and distributing packages to families in the city.
In 2010, when our beloved student, Avishai Shindler was murdered in a a terrorist attack near the Beit Haggai settlement, his name was given to the Gemach because during the years when he learned in the yeshiva, he was among the leaders of the group which ran the Gemach. In this way, the naming of the Gemach after him fulfills his desire to bring gifts to the families in the city.