Sandy Eller – VIN
New York – A unique new service utilizing the resources of three separate organizations will assist travelers who find themselves unable to reach their destinations before Shabbos with an alternative to spending Shabbos on the side of the road or at the airport.
The Shabbos Emergency Roadside Service will debut this Friday, three hours before Shabbos. Pooling the combined resources of Shabbat.com, a website that pairs people who want a place to spend Shabbos with hosts looking for Shabbos guests, a hotline provided by the Kol Hachesed Helpline and dispatchers supplied by Chaveirim/Shvil Hayashar, the hotline will be activated weekly to aid stranded travelers. Shabbat.com’s database currently emcompasses eighty countries and covers approximately 85% of the United States.
“This service is meant for emergency situations only,” said Shabbat.com founder Rabbi Benzion Klatzko in an interview with VIN News. “Our dispatcher will pinpoint the closest hosts and go down the list, if necessary, to find a placement nearby for Shabbos. If we have no hosts in the area we will try to find the closest Chabad center or the nearest Rov.”
The 43 year old Klatzko, a Monsey resident, is urging the public to sign up as hosts with Shabbat.com in order to be able to help as many people as possible.
“This is real social networking in a Yiddishe way,” said Rabbi Klatzko. The phone number for the hotline is 718-705-5000.
Yes, in this day and age screening would be very important, especially since this is a very official service.
It would be beneficial for the organizer if people were to register in advance and provide references that way a) he’ll have less liability to worry about 2) he’ll have a subscriber base
and kiddush Hashem
Do you want a stranger sleeping in your house with your children?
People should register in advance. That way you know who you are sending to peoples homes
Beautiful idea but I hope that everyone3 who signs up as a host will be screened as well as those needing a place. Tizku L’mitzvos