Dear Students and Friends,

I am reaching out to you to share some of the thoughts that are reverberating in my heart. It is hard to see somebody else suffer and even more so when it's family. With family, you see directly to the pain and anguish, and you feel a strong obligation to help them. My heart is ripped to shreds when I witness the extensive suffering my brother is going through now.

You see, a few weeks ago, my brother's home in Elad went up in flames and he lost everything in a tragic house fire. There was tremendous chasadim with the event. Miraculously, their bachur had returned home in the evening, saw the living room in flames and woke the family. With much siyata dishmaya, all the nine children managed to escape the blaze.

Yet now, they are left with nothing. Everything was destroyed in the conflagration. My brother, a talmid chacham, struggles financially and just about covers each month. He does not have any money to set himself up again. Every few days, he is moving to another apartment made available to him by a different kind friend. He and his family are struggling so much.

I can't bare seeing my brother's pain. The lyrics from the song from Aharon Razel, "The Holy Hunchback" that I've taught you in class, echoes in my head as I am penning this letter.

"Kinderlach, tayereh zisseh kinderlach.

Promise me you will remember this forever:

The greatest thing in the whole wide world is to do someone else a favor."

I feel I must do my utmost hishtadlus to help him out. If Hashem made me see the pain of another, it obligates me to do something about it. Therefore, I am reaching out to you to join me in this opportunity. Please help me alleviate the plight of my brother who doesn't have a home right now and needs your generous help in setting him up with all the basic necessities that we all take for granted. All the funds donated are going directly to help him.

Whatever you can do to help would be greatly appreciated. Please reach out to me if you have any ideas how you can help out. My number is 052 652 8810.

May Hashem bentch you with much Bracha and Hatzlacha.

With appreciation,

Malka Katz