[COMMUNICATED] “I was in high school when my parents lost their lives in a car crash. They had a family full of kids at home, and we lost them forever, just because of one person texting while driving. In the few years that have passed since we lost them, my siblings and I have really struggled. Losing parents turns a home completely upside down, and changes everyone in it forever.
Now that I’m a kallah, I feel their absence more than ever – I go alone to the different appointments. Everything comes out of my pocket from what I’ve saved up from my job. And ultimately, I’ll walk to my chuppah without them.” – Rachel*, 22
Rav Elimelech Biderman shlit”a and Rav Don Segal shlit”a have once again taken responsibility for a group of suffering young people. 43 orphan brides & grooms living in Israel have been selected by Kupat Ha’Ir’s screening process as particularly needy. This month’s campaign comes with a powerful bracha: Nachas from your children, and “oustanding success in the coming school year.”
The monthly orphan wedding campaign’s reputation precedes it: Many gedolim have come out in support of the fund, and have volunteered their time for the cause, including but not limited to Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a, Rav Gershon Edelstein shlit”a, and Rav Shimon Galai shlit”a.
The goal of the fund is to raise $1,000 for each couple, a modest yet significant sum which would allow them to purchase essentials such as catering, a wedding hall, or second-hand appliances for their future home. These special young people will walk to their chuppahs alone with this month, but with the help of strangers, and Rav Segal and Rav Biderman, they may rest assured that they will have what they need.
*Details have reportedly been changed to conceal the identities of the orphans. Each of their stories is a unique patchwork of grief. Together, we can turn some of that grief to hope.