OHR HADASSAH
About Ohr Hadassah
When a woman loses her spouse, life as she knows it unravels. The one person who was her cheerleader, her support, and her partner is now gone, leaving her broken and in pieces.
Ohr Hadassah brings her hope.
Founded in 2014 by Tzvi and Jen Kotler, in memory of Jen’s first husband Lawrence Melzer a’’h, Ohr Hadassah Zichron Eliezer is dedicated to supporting families during times of grief, by providing personalized care and assistance to meet their every need.
Ohr Hadassah caters to Anglo-Israeli widows and their children through their support group, therapy referrals, grief coaching, dating advisory, help with Israeli bureaucracy, gift packages, spa and social trips, as well as cash distributions.
Most notably, Ohr Hadassah created My Happy Place, a groundbreaking clothing store in Ramat Eshkol, with quality clothing donated by many high-end stores.
Ohr Hadassah cares, because our founders have been there. We understand what it’s like to feel alone, and step in with not only financial but emotional support at critical times.
- Like the mother who cried when the cash envelope arrived before the Purim meal, with enough money that she could tell her kids, “Go and buy what Totty would’ve bought.”
- Like the orphaned kallah who walked into My Happy Place days before her wedding, and walked out with a full sheva brochos trousseau.
- Like the almanah of a terror victim who received brunch amid her daughter’s wedding prep and wrote back, ‘It’s been so stressful without my husband. Uncanny how you knew what I needed.’
Our Founder
Our mission was born from founder Jennifer Kotler’s personal experience as a young widow with four small children. After the passing of her husband in 2010, Jen identified a tremendous need for more individualized and all- inclusive support for widows with children. She founded Ohr Hadassah and strives to fill those needs.
Let's make a change
Ohr Hadassah Zichron Eliezer was created in 2010 by our founder, who, as a widow with small children, recognized the need for personal and emotional support for others facing similar experiences. The organization’s mission is to offer widows and orphans in Israel the means to recover and rehabilitate themselves after the devastating loss of a loved one.
With a focus on the Anglo/English-speaking niche in Israel, Ohr Hadassah provides a variety of social and charitable services, including group get-togethers, classes, event parties, and Yom Tov’em Matonos L’evyonim and Kimcha D’pisca, personal therapy, and our flagship project, My Happy Place.
My Happy Place is a boutique shop and magical space where women and girls can find brand new, stylish clothing donated by exclusive stores in Jerusalem. Our store is open to all widows and orphans, regardless of native language, and has welcomed over 250 women in the last 6 months. We offer a dignified, personalized, and successful shopping experience that includes trendy dresses, tops, skirts, hats, headbands, bathing suits, stockings, and even wigs! Orphan brides can shop for their dresses for the week of Sheva Brachos and their new life without the stress of having to pay.
Ohr Hadassah Zichron Eliezer has become a sisterhood, providing companionship, motivation, and support to those who need it most. There is no shop like this in Jerusalem and no organization like ours in the world. We are an officially recognized Israeli non-profit organization (Amuta), and we are committed to helping widows and orphans recover from their loss and find hope and joy in their lives again.
