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Personal stories are brought to us by social services professionals around Israel. The names of all applicants are changed to protect individual privacy. The names of the verifying social worker and agencies are real. Photographs are illustrative only.
Irit, 34, and David, 34, are raising four young children, ages 3-13. When she was 20, Irit and her partner had a baby. It was an abusive situation and, after their second child was born, Irit was able to break free of the relationship. Soon after, Irit met David, they...
Anat, now 21, has had a very rough start in life. A single mother to a two-year-old son, Anat is now looking to turn her life around. Anat comes from a highly dysfunctional home. Her parents divorced when she was younger and, after the divorce, Anat began displaying at-risk behavior....
Nomi, 39, and Hillel, 40, are struggling to raise their nine children (6 months – 16) with dignity. Hillel works as a teacher; Nomi was working as a customer service representative but is currently unemployed. Nomi suffers from fibromyalgia and was recently diagnosed with depression. She can barely function and...
When Hannah and Benny met, Hannah had three children from her first marriage. She and her children moved in with Benny, and the two of them had five more children together (plus one on the way). While Hannah, 43, works outside of the home, Benny, 47, does not. He receives...
Nurit, 31, is struggling to raise two young children (ages 3 and 5) on her own. Nurit works as an aide to the elderly, but her minimal income doesn’t cover her monthly expenses. She has also incurred heavy debts over the years that she is trying to pay off. Because...
Stav, 33, is a single mother to two young children, ages 2 and 5. Recently, Or, Stav’s five-year-old son, was diagnosed with autism. The family of three has been living in a one-room apartment. This has been extremely difficult, especially given Or’s challenges. They have now been approved for a...
Hila, 58, is going through a very rough time. Two years ago, her husband, Chaim, died of a heart attack. Chaim hadn’t worked the previous nine years, and the couple were in tight financial circumstances. For the past two years, Hila hasn’t worked either. She has a number of serious...
Tami, 62, needs our help. Tami has lived a rather sad life. At the age of six, her mother died, and her father was unable to care for his children alone; they were sent to foster care. Tami lived with a number of foster families during her childhood, until she...
Liza and Peter’s current situation is heartbreaking. The couple immigrated to Israel from Eastern Europe seven years ago. They have three young children, ages 4-8. Peter, 45, was working until a serious work accident left him with a severely injured leg. He underwent surgery and is still recovering. He is...
For most people, a clothes dryer is not a necessity; for Tamar, however, it is. Tamar is divorced and has ten children; seven of them (ages 6-18) still live at home and five have been diagnosed with autism. Because of her circumstances, Tamar cannot work outside of the home. She...
Nurit, 45, is struggling right now but is determined to move forward with her life and build a brighter future for her one-year-old daughter, Dana. Nurit was married for three years. During that time, she tried to get pregnant but was unsuccessful. Eventually, she and her husband divorced. Last year,...
Batia, 59, has never been married and has no children. Three years ago, she moved in with her elderly mother in order to help her. Her life is lonely and difficult. Batia herself struggles with both physical and emotional issues. She survives on a monthly disability stipend, and there is...
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Bella, 85, is living in a public housing unit with her 55-year-old unemployed son. Bella’s physical and mental capabilities are deteriorating, and she now has a full-time caregiver through the government. Bella spends most of her day at home in a wheelchair. Her apartment has no heat or air conditioning....
Alona, 28, is developmentally impaired as a result of Down’s Syndrome. She is quite high-functioning and can handle most daily activities independently, She does have trouble dealing with finances, cannot navigate public transportation or hold down a job. Alona volunteers once a week in a kindergarten but, otherwise, spends most...
Leora, 43, is raising seven children (ages 9-16) on her own. Five years ago, Leora and her husband divorced. At first, he visited with his children once a week. Today, he has cut off all contact with his family and pays no child support. Leora is truly on her own....
Alon, 41, is struggling to make ends meet. Alon and his ex-wife have two children. Since the divorce, both of the kids have lived with their mother. Recently, however, Liran, 13, moved in with Alon. It hasn’t been a simple adjustment. Ten years ago, Alon’s independent food business shut down....
Bina’s situation is a sad one. 42-years-old and cognitively impaired, Bina spent many years floating between friends homes. Bina’s mother suffers from emotional and psychological issues and lives in a nursing home; his father is also cognitively impaired. Bina has four siblings but isn’t in regular contact with any of...
Vered, 60, needs our help. Divorced, Vered has two grown children. Her 23-year-old son is currently living with her. Vered suffers from emotional issues for which she is being treated with medication. She also has severe back and pelvic issues which prevent her from working and make day-to-day functioning very...
Sarit, 45, and Leon, 51, are going through a very rough time. Leon worked steadily as a truck driver for many years. A former drug addict, Leon eventually lost his license and, therefore, his job as well. During his years of unemployment, the family fell deeply into debt. Sarit worked...
Neither Shai, 36, nor Lital, 33, had an easy start in life. Shai comes from a very low socio-economic household and, as a child, battled cancer. Lital’s parents had an abusive relationship and eventually divorced; today, Lital suffers from both severe allergies and fibromyalgia. Lital and Shai have two children,...