The stories that came pouring in Ruti’s direction as she sat shiva for her husband rendered her speechless. But honestly, that was her Yisroel. Always caring for others, always thinking of others. As a husband, Yisroel was always putting Ruti first. He would listen to her intently, and dedicated his life to make his wife and kids happy. The stories gave her tremendous comfort and soothed the pain of her aching loss. But when a stranger named Binyamin came in and said this, she couldn’t hold back heaving sobs anymore:   “We were crammed there, and we couldn’t breathe. I was next to Yisroel. He was a powerful man and he could have thrown himself over the fence. But then he saw me.

The tragedy’s terrible statistics: 60 orphans, 18 widows,approximately 600 men, women,and children are sitting shivah After the enormity of the tragedy’s statistics was known, we came before Maran HaGaon R’ Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a to ask what our response should be; what do we need to do?     PLEASE CLICK TO DONATE   Maran HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a instructed Kupat Ha’ir to establish a special fund for the victims of the Meron tragedy; on motzai Shabbos he wrote a special letter: As an atonement for our souls, we have requested that Kupat Ha’ir establish a fund to support the families of the dead and wounded,to assist them and support them,and the money will be distributed according to need, based on the decisions of the undersigned Rabbanim, shlit”a.

BS”D  Erev Shabbos Kodesh Emor, Lag Baomer 5781 The hand of Hashem has stricken us: amidst the simchah shel mitzvah, dozens were killed in a strange and terrible way at the tziyun of the G-dly Tanna,Rabi Shimon bar Yochai. Among the victims are fathers of children, sweet bachurim and children, tinokos shel beis rabban.  We do not understand Heavenly calculations and every individual is obligated to do teshuvah. Teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer) and tzedakah (charity) avert unfavorable decrees. As an atonement for our souls, we have requested that Kupat Ha’ir establish a fund to support the families of the dead and wounded, and the money will be distributed in accordance with the need, based on the decisions of the undersigned rabbanim, shlit”a.

When a couple marries, they vow to care for each other through all of the challenges that come during the rest of their lives, until death. But what happens when someone’s spouse is both dead & alive at the same time?  When Leah & Yaakov Simyonov got married they were young, lively, and hopeful for the future. Husband Yaakov took tremendous pride in his seven beautiful children, and how growing business as a successful sofer.  But an unforeseeable tragedy sent him through a shocking transformation. A severe stroke put Yaakov in the hospital for over two years. Patiently, Leah and the kids sat by his hospital bed, piling onto the bus riding for hours from Rechasim to the hills of Jerusalem.

Nurses at Hadassah Har HaTzofim Hospital in Jerusalem gasped in shock as a routine check up turned into an event which became the talk of the entire staff. They had been checking in on the vitals of a patient who had been unresponsive for two years. As they took notes on his condition that morning, however, Yaakov Simyonov did something they thought he would never see: He woke up.  Yaakov had been a young, healthy father of 7 living in the town of Rechasim, when he suffered a sudden severe stroke. In a single moment he came nearly brain-dead. For days, then weeks, his wife and children sat by his hospital bed, waiting for him to return to himself. Tragically, he did not. For two years, he laid in bed.

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It was a scorchingly hot Shabbos afternoon last week, when a young man in a shtreimel & bekishe came walking into the Belz neighborhood of Ashdod. He had travelled by foot along a long stretch of highway, under the blazing sun. Tears streaked down the young man’s cheeks, as he prepared to bring an important piece of news to the community.   He arrived at the door of the Einhorn family, and a young woman quickly ran to greet him, surrounded by 9 children. They saw from his face all the answers they needed to know. Mrs. Einhorn collapsed onto a chair. Wordlessly, the family began to embrace each other, and cry. Their father, R’Aharon Einhorn was gone.

For months, the community of Beitar has been united in prayer for the recovery of 34-year-old R’Shimon Herschler. Family members, neighbors, and even those who did not know him personally were shaken by the news last night that the young father had passed away at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem.  Shimon had already fought cancer once and won the battle. Tragically, however, the disease came back and claimed his life. Left behind are a crushed widow and 7 children, the youngest of whom is a 2-month-old baby girl.  R’Herschler was a talmid chacham who dedicated many hours a week to helping chassidim purchase homes & start communities. A Boyaner chassid, R’Herschler was very close with the Rebbe and an esteemed member of the community.

Six years ago, Yaakov’s entire world shattered as he became an orphan first from his mother, then from his father. Now he is getting married. Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, shlita, the son-in-law of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, has given a bracha to anyone who helps this orphan get married. Yaakov’s mother died six years ago suddenly from a heart attack. She was the main breadwinner for the family, while his father sat and learned in kollel. When she passed, there were 2 children left in the house. Last year, Yaakov’s father was diagnosed with cancer, and rachmana litzlan, he passed away a few months later. Yaakov’s pain from the loss of both of this parents is still raw! CLICK HERE TO DONATE! Baruch Hashem, Yaakov is now engaged.

Rav Bentzion Rabinowitz, most known as The Biale Rebbe, wrote a moving letter to the public this week on behalf of a family that has endured the unthinkable. Mrs. Leah Nemirovsky was a young and otherwise healthy woman when she began to experience strange abdominal pains. The pains became worse, until she was completely bedridden. Confused, her four little children sat by her bedside. The family visited several doctors, but were unable to reach a diagnosis. Recently, after years of suffering, a specialist was able to ascertain that Leah has Crohn’s disease. With a diagnosis, Leah can begin the proper treatments and become a strong, functional mother again. Tragically, however, the impact it has left on the family cannot be fixed so easily. Most heartbreaking of all is little Dovid.