Aharon Mann, 35 year old Israeli father of Uriel (13) and Benaya (3), is crazy about his rambunctious boys.
“They’re just like I was at that age!” he is often heard exclaiming pride, affectionately ruffling their hair and pulling them in for a tight squeeze.
But tragically, Aharon hasn’t seen his sons in almost a year. And the reason for their sudden separation is terrifying.
Before Covid hit the planet, Aharon had earned a decent living as the owner of a corner store. He worked long hours and was constantly grateful to his creator that he was able to provide for his family. But once lockdown began, Aharon began to see less and less customers on a daily basis and like too many other tragic cases of storeowners in Israel, he began slipping into serious debt. Eventually, Aharon had to take out several loans just to keep a roof over his children's heads.
And that’s exactly how a father accidentally put his life and the lives of his own beloved family into serious danger.
Mann says first the debt collectors began calling him, then his parents as well. The collectors have said explicitly that if he does not repay them, they will cause him bodily harm. He has now gone to live in an undisclosed location as he is genuinely afraid for his life.
Immediately upon verifying Mann's story, Rabbi Sariel Rosenberg and Rabbi Shmuel Gross among other top players have become heavily involved in Mann’s case. Several days ago, they publicly put out the following emergency statement:
“A young religious father of two little children is in a situation of life and death. He was put in a tragic financial situation and in order to save his family he had to borrow money. The father borrowed from the wrong people and now they are literally threatening to physically hurt him & his children. They receive death threats night and day - it is a situation of true life or death. Please join...in helping this man repay his debts. It will directly save his life.”
Currently, Mann’s family is at the brink of despair. If money isn’t raised soon, the debt collectors will lose their patience. They will find Aharon. And G-d knows what they will do once they find him, and his kids G-d forbid. In this terrifyingly real case of life or death, every second matters. To learn how you can help the Manns, click here.
