[COMMUNICATED] It was a crisp autumn morning when Rachel Blau got a phone call from her 2-year-old daughter’s ganenet. “Mrs. Blau, do you have a moment to speak?,” said the voice on the other line. Rachel sensed the teacher’s serious tone and took a deep breath. “We’re a bit concerned about Malka’s behavior. She doesn’t socialize with the other children, she has extreme tantrums, and she refuses to make eye contact. We… understand that there are other special needs children in the family. We think you should probably get her diagnosed and take her to a school that will suit her needs.”
Rachel had feared this call for some time now. When Malka was born she appeared to be a completely normal child. As she became a toddler some of her behavior looked all too familiar. She glanced at the 6-year-old eating a sandwich next to her at the kitchen table. Her sweet little Dovid was severely autistic. He had given her so much joy, but also was her main source of worry.
She walked to the kitchen window and spoke softly: “Yes, I understand, thank you. We will speak more when I come to pick up Malka this afternoon.” The call ended and Rachel looked out the window, thinking of the futures of her three autistic children. What would be with them? Would she be their guardian for the rest of their lives? And what about the other ten Blau children who needed her? Just then, the sound of the front door clicking shut behind her stirred her from her reverie.
Rachel looked at the kitchen table and saw that Dovid was gone. She ran out into the front yard, calling the boy’s name and looking for him among the bushes. It was only after an excruciatingly long minute that she caught a glimpse of the boy getting onto a public bus, at the end of the block. As the bus zoomed away, she frantically called the police.
This would not be the first or the last time Rachel had needed to call the police to help Dovid out of a dangerous situation. He was adventurous and had no sense of safety. When she returned from the police station with the 6 year old in tow that afternoon, the other Blau children began to walk in the door, asking for lunch. They opened the fridge and complained that once again it was nearly empty.
The weight was more than Rachel could bear.
Rachel Blau and her husband are drowning under the expenses of providing their three severely autistic children with the special education they need, together with caring for the rest of their large family. They have been forced to make an unthinkable decision: Abandon their beloved children to foster care with someone who can afford to care for them, or deprive them of the treatment they need.
Money is being raised for the Blau family via charity organization Vaad HaRabbanim, to help her care for her family, and keep Dovid, Shimon, and Malky home with the siblings they love, and the therapies they deserve.