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Eight years of struggle built to a crescendo this month, as Avi Matisyahu returned from the hospital to find most of his family’s belongings gone.
It all began in 2011, when Avi’s wife and mother of their 11 children Chaya Matisyahu was pregnant with their youngest son. During routine checks it was discovered that the young woman had cancer. She passed shortly after delivering a healthy baby boy. Chaya left behind a devastated widower, and a large family of orphans.
Avi struggled in the years it followed to raise his children in a 2-room apartment in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem, whilst simultaneously supporting them. Four married and began their own homes, leaving seven still sharing a bedroom.

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Rina* is 7 years old, and as the parents of the neighborhood finish up their cleaning and pre-holiday preparations, the children have all gone outside to play. Rina, however, stays home. Unbeknownst to her friends, her absence is not because she is not feeling well. Rina’s shoes have holes, and she is embarrassed to wear them next to her friends, who have gotten their new clothing for the season. Rina’s parents work hard at their jobs, but they can’t afford another pair of shoes for the little girl right now. As she walks past the store fronts in the Geula shopping area of Jerusalem, she looks longingly at other little girls purchasing clothing for the chag. These childhood memories leave a deep imprint on her relationship with Pesach.

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A 25-year-old man’s serious medical emergency was turned into a full-blown fight for his life last week, after an almost unbelievable series of events.
Yosef Shafer of Haifa went for routine testing after experiencing several unusual symptoms. It was discovered that his left kidney had failed, and surgery was immediately scheduled for after Shavuos. Despite being in tremendous pain, the couple opted to wait the two months, so as to have the procedure covered by their insurance. Yosef is a maintenance man in a boys’ school, and they live very simply.