They Answered the Call // Giving Relaxation as a Form of Relief

At the height of COVID, Rabbi Dovid Fine was slightly stir-crazy from being stuck at home—particularly in his hometown of Toronto, where COVID restrictions were among the tightest and longest. He admits to feeling a twinge of jealousy when he heard community members planning their summer getaways at the waterfront cottages for which Toronto is famous.

That is, until he considered the thousands of local Jews living in poverty for whom a vacation was nothing more than a pipe dream. “I like to take on challenges,” admits Rabbi Fine, an entrepreneur with a long career in sales and business. “It says in Pirkei Avos, ‘In a place where there is no man, strive to be a man.’ This means that a person has to step up. It bothered me how much struggle and heartbreak there was in the frum community. I felt that I wanted to do something. ”

That “something” became Recharge, a relief organization that provides vacations for families experiencing extreme financial, emotional, medical or physical hardship. When Rabbi Fine first presented the idea to a friend, “He said it was terrible, but he gave me $50.” That money started the first “cottage gemach,” which, after some phone fundraising, grew to $10,000 that summer: enough to send ten families on vacation. The second year, with the help of his wife, Chava, they gave vacations to 17 families. By year three, they raised $55,000 toward vacations. “At that point, I didn’t know if I should continue,” Rabbi Fine said. “I visited Rav Yisroel Brog in Cleveland, and he said, ‘Hashem is telling you to keep going.’ When Hashem bentches something, it’s obvious.”

As word got out about Recharge, their budget grew and the organization started to scale. Then Rabbi Paysach Krohn made a video to promote their work and sent families in need to Rabbi Fine, who connected with Chai Lifeline as well as organizations for single mothers and abuse survivors. “There are so many yisurim in the community, so much need for this,” he says. By 2023, Recharge was able to send 47 families on vacation. This year, 61 families have gotten their getaway—over 300 people in total. In addition, Recharge has put together affordable events for families to enjoy over school vacations, including snow tubing and a trampoline park. “These outings can be so expensive. But we were able to charge only $6.13 per person. We even rented out the whole place for men and women to use separately, so there was no worry about tznius.”

With its increased success, Recharge is growing beyond Canada to the US, where it is officially registered as an American 501c3 charity based out of Cleveland. “We believe Hashem is backing this, because I was given an opportunity to expand to the States and build even more partnerships,” Rabbi Fine says. “There are so many people there who could use our help.”

It’s tempting to ask, however, that if these families have such pressing needs, why not direct Recharge funds toward rent payments, bills or therapy? “We believe that a vacation is a need. It’s not a basic need like food or water, but it builds healthy family units and relieves stress,” says Rabbi Fine. “Whether it’s mental health issues, disabilities, getting out of abusive relationships, people can feel stuck. They get anxious and tired. They can’t get away. I know of low-income families in a basement apartment with eight kids who have never left the city. Giving them a vacation is like giving them oxygen. When they get into a different space and are able to recharge their batteries, it helps them overcome their challenges.”

Research backs up Rabbi Fine’s statements. According to the Harvard Business Review, taking vacations has significant benefits on the mind, body and soul, including improved cognition, better sleep, higher productivity and creativity, a boost in positive mood, increased immune health, lower risk of heart disease, and reconnection with one’s spiritual purpose. By providing getaways to families in need, Rabbi Fine is not only giving them an unforgettable experience, he’s helping to improve their overall quality of life.

Putting these vacations together is not a simple task. Each family sponsorship begins at $1,800, says Rabbi Fine, though it can be more for larger families who need bigger or more rooms. After extensive fundraising, he spends months researching and negotiating with resorts, hotels and Airbnbs to get the best pricing, and then he books large blocks of rooms for prospective families. That way, everything is paid for by the time the family arrives.

The Recharge application process has been streamlined to provide as many vacation opportunities as possible. It begins with an online application at www.vacationrelief.org, in addition to two rabbinic references. After an interview and reference checks, decisions are made based on highest need.

“Once we verify their story, the applicants are given the exciting news that they are accepted,” Rabbi Fine said. In exchange for three to four nights of accommodation and activities (families pay for their food and transportation), participants are asked to provide an anonymous letter of appreciation to the donors. “The donors and participants don’t know who is giving and receiving, which keeps things private and protected.”

These letters have shown over and over that Recharge vacations have been incredible experiences for the participants. In one instance, it has even saved a life. One young woman was in a perilous mental health state before Recharge sent her on vacation to Niagara Falls. “She said that experience was the first time she didn’t feel invisible,” says Rabbi Fine. “Let’s face it: the people in our community who are low-income, who are struggling, who have disabilities, they can feel invisible. Being taken care of this way makes them feel loved, like someone cares about them. This is what Hashem wants. This is what it is to be Jewish.”