Steve Kramer and Denis Lee, at ESRA Kfar Saba shop

Two afternoons a week I volunteer at the ESRA Second Hand Shop in Kfar Sava. This enterprise, and a larger one in Raanana, are significant fundraisers for ESRA, benefitting the customers, the organization, and the volunteers.

While discussing the importance of ESRA with Ed Wolfe, the tireless octogenarian who supervises the thrift shops along with his wife Betty, I gained a personal insight into what ESRA means. I knew that “ezra” is the English transliteration of the Hebrew word meaning “help”, but Ed’s explanation went deeper. We were returning from a pickup of clothes and household articles in a nearby city. Ed was very happy that we had been able to relieve the donor of items that would bring in much needed funds. But he was doubly happy because our donor clearly enjoyed sharing in the “tzedaka” of helping others. Ed knew that if she had left the items for the trash pickup, or even if she had sold some of them, she wouldn’t have derived the satisfaction that she gained by donating the items to ESRA, which she knew would put the proceeds to excellent use.

What will happen to the items Ed and I took back to Kfar Sava? The clothes will be sorted and placed in the appropriate location in the shop. The household goods will be divided among the shelves for glassware, appliances, etc. Most important to Ed on this pickup, the large quantity of fabrics and sewing articles will be used to help ESRA sewing centers. As are sewing machines, thread, and material which people donate to teach sewing skills to Ethiopian immigrants, men and women.

On a typical afternoon at the shop, I join manager Denis Lee in selling as much merchandise as we possibly can. I help keep the shop tidy and have become a champion disposer of trash. Denis has a dry sense of humor, which he unleashes mercilessly on me and the customers in between bouts of bargaining with the clientele. I’ve learned that maintaining a constant cash flow is of the utmost importance at the shop. That’s because new goods are continually being dropped off there or collected by Ed, Denis and others.

Most customers drive a fierce bargain, even for goods which are very cheap to begin with. Others get very low prices by buying large quantities, as happens sometimes with our stock of jeans. Believe it or not, we sell jeans at one-twentieth or less than a similar pair of new jeans in a clothing store - many of which are made to look worn, just like the ones that we sell! Despite this, we sometimes sell 50 or more pairs at a super reduction, just to get rid of them.

The biggest mystery in the shop is what happens to the shoes. We meticulously place them on the shelves in pairs, but when a customer finds one that fits, the other is often nowhere to be found. Denis jokes that there must be a large number of one-footed “patrons” in Kfar Sava. Of course, when we notice that one of a pair is missing, we dispose of the survivor. We don’t want anyone coming back to acquire the remaining half-pair!

Most of the shop volunteers work in the mornings, when the serious sorting of merchandise is done. There are always sacks of items dropped off the day before to be winnowed through. Little goes to waste, because the rag-picking trade is still in existence, even in this the 21st century. Clothes that are torn or too soiled to sell still bring in some money when sold in bulk to the collectors. Speaking of unsaleable goods, it’s proper to keep in mind that customers aren’t interested in trashy or inoperative goods, no matter how low the price is. A good rule of thumb for donors is, if you wouldn’t want to buy it, don’t donate it.

As for the customers, there are all kinds. Second hand shops usually have regulars and our shop is no exception. Some shop daily, always searching for a bargain that may have just come in. Others appear at least once a week. Those who shop most regularly are from all strata of the population, including new immigrants, lower income working people, retired people, and others who just like to get a bargain, such as very low-priced books or inexpensive clothes. If you haven’t spent time in a second hand shop such as ours, be aware that it’s another world, unlike the one you are accustomed to.

With its 19 branches spread around Israel, ESRA is a great organization for activities of all types. There are innumerable projects to benefit members and recipients, and myriad opportunities to donate one’s time by volunteering. Check out the website at www.esra.org.il and the excellent online magazine at www.esramagazine.com. The standout 108 page bi-monthly publication is distributed around the country to thousands of interested readers.

It’s a cliché to say that volunteers receive more than they give; in the case of ESRA it’s absolutely true. People like Ed and Betty Wolfe work their hearts out to promote the organization, while the efforts of managers such as Denis Lee show a dedication which goes far beyond modest compensation. For me, working at ESRA’s second hand shop in Kfar Sava is a way to keep in touch with segments of Israeli society that I wouldn’t ordinarily know and to support a terrific organization which benefits a huge number of Israelis in many different ways.