UPDATE 05/25: Please, help me to provide for my kids after this horrible, horrible tragedy. Their hearts will never recover from losing their Abba… At least, with your help, I can make sure they have the basic things they need. And we should only hear besuros tovos.
Hello, my name is Rivka Levine. Until about two years ago, we had a simple, quiet life. My husband taught in a Talmud Torah here in Bnei Brak. I worked part-time as a secretary. We weren't wealthy, but we had what we needed, and we had each other. Then he got sick. It happened fast — too fast. A sudden, serious illness, and within a short time, he was gone. He left behind five children. Our oldest is 15. Our youngest just turned 4. Since then, it has been only me.
I won't pretend it's been manageable. Every month I face rent, tuition, food, clothing — and on top of that, the debts that piled up while we were fighting for his life. I try to work more hours, but I also have five children who need their mother, especially now. I cannot do both the way I need to.
What breaks my heart most is the ordinary days. Not the yomim tovim, not the big moments — the regular Tuesday when my child needs new shoes and I have to tell him to wait. The morning when there's not enough for everyone's lunch. These are the moments no one sees. These are the moments I carry alone.
My children still go to school every day. They try. I try. But we are stretched beyond what one person can hold. If you are able to help — even a little — please do. You will be giving five orphaned children in Bnei Brak what their mother cannot give them alone: a stable, dignified life.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Rivka Levine
