Rabbi Shalom Peretz
Rabbi Shalom Peretzבאדיבות המשפחה

"It's so hard to speak of Rabbi Shalom in the past tense," said Neriah, a good friend of Rabbi Shalom Peretz, who was killed in a traffic accident in Netivot. "Rabbi Shalom was an 'alive' person- he knew how to live and dedicated every moment of his life to Torah, to chessed, to making Jews happy. He was a very special person, and now he's no longer here…"

"Rabbi Shalom constantly struggled with financial lack," shares Neriah. "I always knew he had no money. He'd leave home in the morning with an empty wallet, without a shekel in it. HaKadosh Baruch Hu would send him here and there, and somehow he'd manage to buy necessary items."

"Although he himself was absolutely destitute and had nothing himself, he was always concerned for others and thinking about the other avreichim…'How will this one survive, he has nothing- we have to help him,' – that’s the way he would speak all the time. Worrying about the next guy. A man with a great neshamah and a huge heart…"

Click here to help the widow and orphans of Rabbi Shalom Peretz z"l, age 26

Another friend who prefers not to have his name publicized tells of an insightful, resourceful talmid chacham who is suddenly no longer with us…

"I learned with him in kollel for a time. Listen, he was a very interesting person. On the one hand he was a tremendous masmid, sitting and learning with great dedication, and on the other hand he always had a watchful eye open to identify people in trouble and to help them. If he'd see someone who looked sad, he'd come to cheer him up. The person wouldn't always understand what was going on, he'd just come over seemingly for no reason and ask him a question, or consult with him about some issue in order to make him feel important and valued- such that people come and consult with him.

"He had some really smart ways of helping people, despite the fact that he himself struggled with many difficulties- his children suffer from very severe allergies and need expensive medications, and he himself didn't have a shekel to his name, but he had a heart as big as a hall that was constantly searching for ways to help others."

Rabbi Shalom Peretz was on his way to learn in kollel, riding on his trusty old motorcycle, when a heavy truck appeared seemingly out of nowhere and ran him over, killing him on the spot.

Four orphans are left in his home, the oldest a mere five- and- a -half years old, and the youngest only eight months!

The family has accumulated considerable debts, and Rabbi Shalom was always trying as hard as he could to cover them, but without much success.

Now the devastated widow is left alone to care for four young orphans, who suffer from severe allergies, and can't afford to buy the expensive medications plus the basic food necessities for herself and her children.

Click here to help the widow and orphans of Rabbi Shalom Peretz z"l, age 26