I have a very strict policy of not accepting any unpaid announcements on my blog. I have been asked many times to post such announcements about worthy causes and institutions that would make more people aware of what they do and for those who can afford it and are so inclined to help support them financially.
Although many of these causes are indeed worthy and deserve community support, I don’t want my blog to become a community bulletin board. That is not its purpose. Its purpose is implied by the title: To seek and promote Emes and Emunah.
But I am making an exception in this case because of the unique nature of this website. I do not believe there is anything else like it. My hat is off to its creator, Anna Olswanger. I don’t know her and never met her. But she has been described by her Rav as a brilliant and dedicated person who is both creative and gifted.
Mrs. Olswanger sent me a personal note asking if I would mention her website. After giving it some thought I decided to make an exception. The following are her words:
I've created a new website called Yerusha.com for Jewish women and men past normal child-bearing age, who believe they may never have children, either biologically or by adoption. I started the site as a way to bring these Jews together, both online and in the real world, to explore the meaning and experience of being childless Jewish adults.
As a childless Jew myself, I know that some childless Jews feel ashamed because they haven't "stepped up to the plate." I want Yerusha to be a resource for these Jews, a place where they can go beyond dwelling on their childlessness and discover the inheritance ("yerusha" in Hebrew) they could leave to the Jewish people.
The website features a section on relevant Jewish teachings, a list of role models who left something to the Jewish people despite their childlessness, possible steps to take in exploring what it means to be childless, and a forum where people can share their own stories.
I hope that visitors to the site will be encouraged to start local groups, or that an umbrella group may want to take on Yerusha as its project.
Anna Olswanger
