Success Stories: The Cohens from Netivot

From Netivot to Beit Shemesh

It was exactly two weeks and a day after the outbreak of the Iron Sword War. There was a strange knock on the office door of Lema’an Achai, as if a dog was trying to scratch the door and open it. This was strange because usually most visitors do not knock on the door but press the bell. When the door opened, three small children were standing there. "Where are your parents? Where are you from?," the office manager asked them. "Mom and Dad are standing outside, they're a little embarrassed to come in, they don't like asking for help. We fled Netivot with nothing...’'

The Cohen family (not their real name), parents and their six children, were forced to leave Netivot. Some of the children woke up every night with nightmares, some were afraid to go to the bathroom alone, confined inside the house, afraid to go out into the street. The many barrages of missiles, and the loudness of the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, made the entire family anxious. They decided to leave until the end of the war. They packed a few clothes, the little ones got into an old Hyundai Accent with their father, while the older ones took public transportation with their mother, and somehow got to Beit Shemesh.

They drove directly from Netivot to Beit Shemesh. They have no idea why they chose Beit Shemesh, "probably from heaven," said the father of the family. In Beit Shemesh, they asked someone on the street if they knew of a charitable organization that helps evacuees from the south. The Jew directed them to some center for a hot meal, but he told them that if they needed or wanted long-term help, not just a meal, they should turn to Lema’an Achai. And so, straight from their home in the south, they 'landed' in the Lema’an Achai office. They were tired, confused and above all, very embarrassed.

They certainly did come to the right place. Just a few days earlier, a Lema’an Achai volunteer told the organization's CEO that he was offering an apartment to Lema’an Achai who in turn would help a homeless family. The apartment was partially furnished, but nothing would stop our dedicated staff: mattresses, bags full of food, vouchers to purchase food, vouchers for the Shemeshop store, the Lema’an Achai second hand clothing store, and much more. Within a few hours, the family entered the apartment. It was heartwarming to see the light in their eyes. And of course...we gave each child a game or toy suitable for his/her age.

The Cohens were grateful and never stopped praising our work. From time to time they pop in to get a meal at charitable organizations, but they always point out that the help they received from Lema'an Achai was above and beyond. Looking back, now that they were about to return to Netivot, they noted that quieting their hungry stomachs had helped them, but what had given them light and hope was the help they had received from Lema’an Achai.

But this is not the end of the story. This is probably just the beginning. In a meeting with one of Lema’an Achai’s social workers, it became clear that the family's challenges began even before the outbreak of the war. The father studies a Kollel, and the mother of the family was fired from her job, and the shortage in their home has been evident for several months. They made it through the holidays thanks to charities that helped them, but despair had already begun to seep into their thoughts. From a family that came to us because of the war, they underwent a full intake, and from now on they will undergo a rehabilitation process. We hope that they will persevere, despite the distance from Netivot, and that we will succeed in helping them to help themselves and emerge from a crisis to independence.