Close your eyes for 30 seconds and imagine the plight of a person, separated from family and community, possibly locked alone without comfort or company for weeks or even months at a time, in a cold, bare, solitary confinement cell, despairing and helpless against the whims of a prison guard or an unfamiliar prison system.
Imagine the feelings of a wife who suddenly has to deal alone with traumatized children, hunger, electricity shut-offs, and eviction notices, after her husband and former breadwinner is taken away from her in cuffs.
Imagine the children’s confusion and hurt—“When is Daddy coming home? Why doesn’t he love me anymore?”—and the family’s endless shame.
The pain is unimaginable. For many offenders, prison is a horrible punishment, an intensely lonely and frightening place. Inmates are vulnerable to brutality, proselytizing, and anti-Semitism. Prisoners can find challenges in getting the simplest things taken care of, be they religious, medical, or other misunderstood personal needs. Often, they suffer simply because of bureaucracy or inadequate legal representation. And their spouses and children struggle terribly.
At Aleph Institute we are able to be there to support, advocate, and fight for the prisoner’s rights.
We provide vital family support. We reach out to the inmates to help ease their isolation, and provide them legal backing when miscarriage of justice is apparent. We lobby state governments for important religious policy changes. And we respond to emergency international situations that demand our intervention. At Aleph, we literally save lives on a steady basis.
“No One Alone. No One Forgotten”
Our guiding principle is that even someone who has committed a criminal act is still a person dear to G-d and created in His image, with religious responsibilities, the ability to improve, and human emotional needs. “No one alone, no one forgotten” is our motto.
We visit inmates regularly and show them that someone cares, when all is frightening and lonely. We bring them spiritual guidance, reading materials, and life-saving hope, when all seems harsh and dark. We offer holiday programs and provisions, and advocate for neglected or misunderstood religious and medical needs.
