Bnei Brak – The simchah of Yom Tov was still in the air when tragedy struck Klal Yisroel. For R’ Shloimy K., a quiet and sincere yungerman in Bnei Brak, the events of Simchas Torah turned his life upside down. His brother—an ehrliche talmid chacham and father of five—was among the kedoshim who never returned from davening.
The levayah was heart-wrenching. But even more so was the scene that followed: five pure neshamalech standing with no father, and an almanah who could barely speak from grief. R’ Shloimy and his wife didn’t think twice. Though their own apartment was modest, they opened their home and their hearts. “It was never a question,” he says. “They’re family. What else could we do?”
But mesirus nefesh doesn’t pay bills. Suddenly there were ten mouths to feed, tuition to worry about, government paperwork, and the emotional toll of holding up a grieving family. That’s when Chizku came in.
Within days, Chizku arranged for social and emotional guidance, helped them apply for benefits, and sent a trained volunteer to support the children. They even helped cover some urgent school costs. “But more than that,” says R’ Shloimy, “they were there with heart. With real Yiddishe heart. They understood what we were going through without needing to explain.”
