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It’s no secret: The past zman was an extremely difficult time for yeshiva bochurim around the world. Many young boys looked forward to spending their spring learning Torah, gaining guidance for their rebbeim, and growing as a person. Unfortunately, their most sacred space, the beis midrash, was rendered unsafe by the coronavirus. They were cast out, back to their homes, where they lacked that essential ‘yeshiva’ experience.
 
Now that the summer has come and restrictions have loosened, Jewish families around the world are enjoying a restful bein hazmanim, taking trips & relaxing. Some very special bochurim, however, have opted to use this time to catch up on the Torah learning that they missed.
 

A message to you from Shimon Dushinsky, father of 8 and recent widower:
 “My wife Rivka was my hero.
 She raised our 8 children with such grace and strength, and for the last 6 months she battled stomach cancer. Two weeks ago, she passed away.
 Devastated is not even the word.
 Now I am at a loss as to how to cover all of my expenses with only my income. I have to pay 1500 shekel a month  for my daughter Sara’s studies, 800 shekel a month for my son’s yeshiva, 350 shekel a month for my daughter Yehudis’s school, in addition to $40,000 of debts from cancer treatments and other life events.

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The Cohen family of Petach Tikva were having an otherwise typical night when they noticed that their 1 year old son Refael’s lips were turning blue. Most parents are familiar with the scene: The symptoms were subtle, they assumed he was probably fine, but decided it was better to take him to the ER just in case. That evening would send their lives on a whole new trajectory.
 
Refael, a sweet little baby with big brown eyes and bouncy curls, was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and a weak heart. For an excruciating 38 days, his mother Chagit stayed by his hospital bed. Her 9 other children remained at home, awaiting their return. Then came the most frightening few minutes of Chagit’s life – the day that Refael went into cardiac arrest.
 

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“I was in high school when my parents lost their lives in a car crash. They had a family full of kids at home, and we lost them forever, just because of one person texting while driving. In the few years that have passed since we lost them, my siblings and I have really struggled. Losing parents turns a home completely upside down, and changes everyone in it forever.
 
Now that I’m a kallah, I feel their absence more than ever – I go alone to the different appointments. Everything comes out of my pocket from what I’ve saved up from my job. And ultimately, I’ll walk to my chuppah without them.” – Rachel*, 22
 

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By most people’s standards, Malka Heimlich has more than enough reason to complain. Instead, this amazing mother of 14 kids maintains her bravery & optimism against all odds:
Malka had received surgery for a torn tendon and was walking one day when she heard a “snap.” Now she is confined to a wheelchair. This would be challenging enough, if she weren’t also in the process of raising a large family, and marrying off two kids.
Doctors have told her that she needs surgery in order to walk again, but the procedure is beyond her financial means. And so she remains unable to stand, in more ways than one.

“Trauma” comes in many forms. For some, it is a small moment which sticks with us. For others, it is years in a dysfunctional household which sends a ripple effect through our lives and our childrens’ lives, for what can feel like forever.
When Chedva Vishinsky got married 8 years ago, she was like any bride: Excited and hopeful for the future. Unfortunately, however, unforeseen circumstances sent her and her children into chaos. She now lives alone with her two kids, Ayala (8) and Yosef Shalom (7). She supports and raises them alone. 

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Some say that one of the most painful parts of a loved one battling cancer is the suspense. “How long will the treatments take? Will they be effective? Will the person I love be here with me in a year? A month? A week?”
 
For the Kahana family of Bnei Brak, however, there was no suspense. Though their mother Rivka fought cancer for 4 long years, she did not tell any of them she was sick. They knew her only as ‘weak.’
 
In what seems impossibly heroic, Rivka continued to raise her 12 children without any mention of her own cancer or pain for four years. She worked as a teacher in a high school for girls, and she even went in to work on the day she died.
 

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