Thousands of bnei Torah gathered for a prayer rally
held at Wagshall Halls in Bnei Brak on Motzei Shabbos
parshas Shofetim.
The gathering was organized by Ezer Mitzion based on
instructions by gedolei Yisroel, many of whom were in
attendance, as a response to the numerous Jews suffering from
illness and other yissurim.
The hall was set up on Friday with speakers placed outside,
to convey the event to the overflow crowd.
Ezer Mitzion Director Rabbi Chananya Cholek opened the event.
Quoting the verse, "Lech knos es kol haYehudim," he
said gedolei Yisroel advised him to convene the
gathering as a response to the many tribulations visited upon
chareidi families.
He recalled how he recently went to notify a family of their
son's death. Overcome with grief the father revealed that
this was the fourth child he had to bury. "I know of four
families that have two cancer patients in their home," added
Rabbi Cholek. "Terrible tzoros the likes of which we
have not heard for years. A family came after having to
transport the father from Tzfas to Tel Aviv to be treated
just before a chag. The cost of an ambulance ride like
this is over NIS 4,000 and the family does not have the means
to cover it. Last week a father came to me saying a son had
been born to him without arms. He has to purchase prostheses
and he lacks the money to pay for them.
"Just recently Ezer Mitzion organized summer camps for
children with special needs. Sixty-four children were left at
home due to the lack of space. Mothers pleaded. `Our child is
autistic. Please take him out of the home for two weeks so we
can rest.' I couldn't help them because of the lack of
funding. We held a camp for 120 families of cancer
patients— 38 sick mothers and 72 sick children. The
costs were enormous and we are unable to carry the burden and
respond to all of the requests that come into the
organization's offices every day."
HaRav Yosef Ezrachi, HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman and HaRav
Don Segal also addressed the bnei Torah who had come
to stir Rachamei Shomayim.
