It was Shabbat morning, a few days ago, and men were gathered in a small synagogue to begin the morning prayers. Just as they were about to begin, however, someone walked in and caused everyone’s heart to skip a beat: 11-year-old Shalom Amsalem.
What shocked everyone was not that Shalom was in shul, but who was noticeably not by his side: Shalom’s father Yosef was brutally killed weeks earlier in the violent October 7th massacre. Though he is only 11, Shalom has done all he can to rise to the occasion of being the new “man” of the house.
This means caring for his mother, who is overwhelmed by grief, and his younger siblings. It also meant walking into Shabbat prayers alone.
The Amsalem family’s burden, however, is not just emotional devastation. They are painfully poor, and their father had been their primary provider. Without him, there is no money to pay rent, purchase groceries, clothing, or any other essentials.
As the service resumed, many could not help but cry. For the little boy in the back row who would never see his father again. And his mother who has to raise 5 kids alone.
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