Local women concerned about Argentina

By Gregory Koteles Acorn Staff Writer

"Don’t cry for me Argentina," says Eva Peron in the Broadway musical "Evita," but many in America are crying for Argentina as the world’s eighth largest nation continues to suffer from an economic, political and social crisis that has left many of the country’s 32 million inhabitants living in squalor and severe poverty.

In November, 180 Americans left home on a mission to the impoverished South American nation. The journey, organized by the Ben Gurion Society, an arm of the Jewish Federation, drew in people from across the nation, including three from Heschel West Dayschool—Kim Cavallo, Sandy Isaacson and Becquie Kishineff.

The goal of the mission wasn’t just to help alleviate some of the hardships of Argentina’s Jewish community (the largest in South America), but to provide assistance to all of the country’s people.

"In most charities we give money, but we never really see where that money goes," said Kishineff. The trip offered her a chance to be hands-on with her tzedaka ("charity.")

During her week in the impoverished country, Kishineff and her fellow missionaries visited synagogues, shelters, soup kitchens, community centers and schools, seeing firsthand the effects of years of governmental corruption, uncontrolled inflation and widespread unemployment. In slightly more than a year, with the return of the fascist Peronists to power in Argentina, the country’s middle class has effectively been destroyed following a meltdown of the banking system and unpopular economic measures by the government to curb withdrawals.

Kishineff met people thrown into poverty by the maelstrom of Argentine politics, people she calls the "sudden poor."

"They used to drive Lincolns, but now they can’t afford to buy gas," she said. "They’re wearing designer clothes, but they have holes in them."

She learned of Jews, too ashamed to beg in a place where they were once leaders and respected members of the community, going to soup kitchens at Catholic churches. She learned that sometimes hunger outweighs pride and that hundreds flock to the soup kitchens tucked away in the basements of synagogues.

In a most unlikely way, she also learned that charity can make a difference and be reflected back on the giver. When Brian Weissberg, a fellow local missionary, broke his leg during the trip, he was rushed to a nearby "rinky-dink" hospital. After setting his leg, the doctors and administrators of the hospital flatly refused payment or donations for their services.

After some prodding, Kishineff and Weissberg discovered that the Jewish Federation had donated a defibrillator to the hospital three months earlier, which saved the life of a 3-month-old child.

In other ways, Kishineff learned the value of items many of us take for granted. She lugged three suitcases full of medicine and school supplies on the trip with her, items donated by the students, faculty and staff of Heschel West.

"We were bringing this stuff to people we didn’t even know," she said. "But when I emptied the suitcases, it looked like gold."

Moved by her experiences in Argentina, Kishineff doesn’t intend to rest on her charitable laurels. She plans on volunteering in a program called Lifeline to Argentina, an emergency relief project based out of Temple Sinai in Los Angeles.

Diana Fiedotin, the project director for Lifeline, said that "the program was born as a way to allow people to make a more direct connection with an individual or family." Lifeline offers people the option of donating to a single person or family in Argentina a year’s worth of food, medicine or schooling (a single person can be fed for $240 annually).

Donators can choose to remain anonymous, or they can be put in touch with those they are helping. Additionally, the Jewish Federation has offered Lifeline a $1 million matching grant for its donations.

"We actually end up sending twice as much money to Argentina," said Fiedotin.

Inspired by their mother’s mission, Kishineff’s children sought to help as well, resorting to a tried and true method—they sold lemonade.

"I matched my kids’ money, sent it through Lifeline, and the Jewish Federation matched that money," said Kishineff. She hopes to help further by bringing the Lifeline project to the Valley.

Anyone interested in donating to Lifeline to Argentina or volunteering their time can write to the Jewish Federation at 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100, LA 90048.

They can also call Fiedotin directly at (310) 474-3614 or email her at dfiedotin@mindspring.com.