Abandoned Family Dreams of Food
When Lev is scared at night, Fiodor whispers to him, telling him stories of happier times…
Siblings Lev, 8, and Fiodor, 6, share a bed. For these poor traumatized children living in the former Soviet Union, this is the only love and warmth they get. When Lev is scared at night, Fiodor whispers to him, telling him stories of happier times.
Olga, their mother, is still in a state of shock about being abandoned by her husband. She’d always envisioned growing old with him and watching their children grow up together. But he abandoned his family, leaving them emotionally and financially devastated. Lev and Fiodor miss their father terribly, and Olga now suffers from depression.
Fiodor had to leave preschool because they could no longer afford it, and Olga had to quit her minimum-wage job in order to watch him. Olga and her children live in a tiny apartment, and they can no longer afford to pay the rent. The landlord gave them a two-week deadline to pay up or be evicted.
This was all too much for Olga to bear. She called her local Jewish community to ask for help, and they connected her to The Fellowship. Olga wept when she met with the Fellowship representative and explained her situation. “I feel like I am worthless,” she said. “I cannot even provide a healthy and happy environment for my sweet little boys.” We offered immediate assistance to this struggling family, and Olga felt a stirring of hope in her heart.
Thanks to our High Holy Days Outreach, Olga was overjoyed to finally have enough food to feed her children with the generous food packages she received from The Fellowship. When she told Lev and Fiodor that they were going shopping for new clothing, thanks to the clothing cards The Fellowship gave her, she couldn’t help but smile at the expressions of shock and happiness on their faces.
Olga is deeply grateful to Rabbi Eckstein and The Fellowship for being there for her family. You can bring hope to other struggling families like Olga’s with your High Holy Days gift today.
