It was summer morning in Jerusalem this past July and Yael Weiss was already up, puttering around in her sun-streaked kitchen. She liked to wake up early, fix herself a tea before the kids were up, and have some quiet moments to herself. She sat in the rickety wooden chair, closed her eyes, and allowed herself a few minutes of blessed peace.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. It definitely wasn’t the Minkoff kids asking to borrow milk or an egg; Their knocks were always gentle. Yael walked over the door and curiously opened it . But when she did, she froze.
Six armed policemen were at the door, guns pointed directly at her.
Until today, Yael still trembles with fright every time there is a knock at the door. The moment her husband came home from synogogue that morning, she told him what happened:
The police had informed her that if she and her husband don’t pay back debt from overdue rent soon, they will throw the family with young children out of their own home and onto the streets. Although a woman always known to maintain her dignity, Yael couldn’t help but break down before them. She cried and pleaded, explaining that they had several extra expenses recently, and that she has little children who need a place to live.
Today, the Weisses are about to lose everything they have. A fundraiser spearheaded by Rav Yaakov Meir Shechter is currently underway to prevent that tragedy from happening. For more information, click here.