13/10/2026
๐ LET HER LOVE OF CHILDREN LIVE ON! Creating a Living Legacy for Morah Chaya Schabes, (AโH) in Israel:
Chaya Schabes, AโH was a gifted early-childhood educator who left a lasting impact on generations of young students in the Jewish communities of Upper Manhattan and Northern New Jersey, whom she taught with legendary love and care. As the first teacher that her students would encounter at the start of their educational journey, she used her warmth, her creativity, her humor and her instinctive understanding of what young children enjoy and relate to in order to give them a lifelong love of reading, storytelling and learning.
Now, her friends and classmates are creating a beautiful childrenโs reading, storytelling, and activity space at the Tzfat Geiger Memorial Library in her memory.
๐ธ DONATE HERE:
https://web.causematch.com/donate/safedenglishlibrary
To appreciate where we are now, you have to remember where this started. The old Room No. 4 (see photo) was cramped, shadowy, and claustrophobicโdominated by harsh, buzzing fluorescent tubes overhead, popcorn ceilings, makeshift setups, and narrow aisles jammed shoulder-to-shoulder with mismatched shelving. It served its purpose, but it was dark, overcrowded, and visitors had neither sufficient room nor reason to linger.
Now, look at it. What began as raw pine boards, scattered sawdust, and an ambitious set of architectural renderings is finally snapping into place.
This isn't just another row of shelvesโitโs our new dedicated multi-purpose room. Along with housing our non-fiction collection, the layout was designed specifically to give childrenโs programming room to breathe, while opening up a versatile gathering space for community events, workshops, and readings that simply outgrew our smaller rooms.
The custom shelving is anchored, the built-in reading benches are built, and the story corner is almost ready for its first crowd. The books are next.
The space is almost ready. The books are next.
Once the dust settles, Morah Chayaโs story hour returns to life right here. We are turning to our communityโboth nearby in Tzfat and across the globeโto help carry this final phase across the finish line. Every single gift helps set the stage.
After donating, please let library staff know so we can ensure your gift is strictly earmarked for this dedicated project.
With gratitude and appreciation, we look forward to sharing the dedication with youโin person in Tzfat or via Zoom.
Miriam Botzer
๐ธ DONATE HERE:
https://web.causematch.com/donate/safedenglishlibrary
(Grand-opening celebration details and date to be announced shortly.)
