[COMMUNICATED]
On the second day of Shavuos, tragedy struck a Monsey family with the passing of their father after losing his ten week battle against the Coronavirus. Their father R’ Lemel Hirsch was their only surviving parent after losing their mother to Cancer four years prior. With this final blow the family was decimated.
To make matters worse, there is a Kallah at home getting married in 3 days, and a boy getting Bar Mitzvah in 6 weeks.
R’ Asher Lemel Hirsch a”h, a well-known baal chesed and beloved man, a man who worked hard to make ends meet, working tirelessly as the main cook for the Viznitz Yeshiva in Monsey. For thirty three years he fed thousands of children daily. Until… that sad day that brought an end to everything.
Seven years ago, his dear wife Ahuva a”h, the devoted mother of his fourteen lovely children was diagnosed with cancer. It was the beginning of a three year long devastating battle. R’ Lemel was at her bedside at every moment he was able to spare. He juggled the roles of father, mother and husband, all the while he struggled to keep ahead of his mounting bills.
The graphic description of the emotional pain and agony of every single member is impossible to describe, in three simple words, Sad. Tragic. Devastating.
Although he was preoccupied caring for his bedridden wife, he kept on cheering up his kids, being their steel spine during those difficult times, and trying his best to make sure the situation shouldn’t have any effect on their emotional well-being.
During these difficult years, R’ Lemel also experienced the extreme financial hardships of marrying off several children, hefty medical bills, on top of his day to day expenses.
After three excruciating painful years, at the age of 51 Mrs. Hirsch sadly succumbed to her illness, delivering the first devastating blow to this family, and abruptly capping off one tumultuous chapter of their lives. As one sad chapter closed, a new sad chapter begun of four lonely years raising his orphans.
Then came the final decimating blow. COVID-19 reared its ugly head, infecting their surviving parent. R’ Lemel was rushed into the hospital all alone with difficulty breathing. The orphans were sitting at home not knowing what’s happening with their beloved father, their backbone, and their life supporter, hoping and praying for his full recovery.
They so badly missed him, they wanted to be with their only parent, in the hospital, they were yearning to see him, they were longing for his contagious smile, but their request was denied time and again.
His condition started deteriorating. A downward spiral has started, he was intubated. Then more bad news started coming in… Totty has suffered a stroke… He’s unconscious… Then he suffered a massive heart attack… his kidneys started failing…. the kids were panicking, can it really happen? Can we lose our second parent? Can we be left alone?
Then, the unthinkable happened. He joined his wife in Heaven, at the age of 57 years, leaving behind four unmarried children, one of them only 3 days away from her wedding.
Can you imagine the acute physical pain, the crushing emotional agony, and in severe financial distress this family is currently experiencing?
Can you imagine the astronomical amounts of money it will take to resurrect this devastated family, to heal their physical pain, to cure their emotional anguish, to support them throughout their turbulent journey?
Please listen to their cries, feel their pain, wipe their tears, and support this emergency campaign that has been launched to save them from collapse. They need you, they cannot survive without your generous assistance.
May Hashem reward you for your generosity.