Why we opened this campaign
Update • 26 June 2025
We had already closed the fundraiser, taken a breath and watched the Kogan family slowly get back on their feet. Only a few days remained before their son’s bar-mitzvah. Then, at 03:00 on 13 June, air-raid sirens sounded across the country. The war with Iran had begun.
Be’er Sheva became one of the cities hardest hit by rocket fire. A missile struck a building next to the one where Chaya-Beila, Gershon and their four children live. The blast blew out the windows in their flat and badly damaged appliances and furniture. An inspection declared the apartment fit for repair, so the government will compensate the landlord—because the family were renting a furnished flat—but it will not pay for the family’s personal property: the laptops, children’s tablets and clothing that were destroyed. Nor will the state provide temporary housing; the system is overwhelmed and only relocates families whose homes were completely demolished. Others are offered at best beds in converted gymnasiums.
With no windows the flat is uninhabitable. July in Be’er Sheva means sandstorms and temperatures close to 40 °C. The family cannot afford to rent another home.
The constant rocket alerts have triggered fresh trauma in the younger children. They need counselling and gentle therapy, but waiting lists for free help are months long and private sessions are expensive. Even something as simple as magnesium supplements to restore healthy sleep is a heavy cost when every shekel counts. Right now the Kogans have just enough to survive, nothing more. We are therefore reopening our appeal and asking for your kindness. Together we can help. When we stand shoulder to shoulder, even Iran cannot break us.
The story behind the Kogan family
When Gershon wrote a post saying that for his fiftieth birthday he would welcome monetary gifts toward his son’s bar-mitzvah, he was not prepared for the ridicule that followed. “You’re fifty—can’t you feed your family?” and “Ever tried getting a real job?” were just two of the comments from people who knew nothing of the struggles this family has faced.
Gershon and Chaya-Beila made aliyah almost three years ago. Gershon is an Iranologist with a PhD. Chaya-Beila was a respected wig-maker in Ukraine and opened a similar business here as soon as she could. Gershon dreamed of serving in the IDF and was looking for a suitable post while teaching in an ulpan. When that did not work out he took construction work. Chaya-Beila worked late into the night, walking home on foot, determined to rebuild their lives in a new country.
Six months after their arrival tragedy struck: a close friend of Chaya-Beila’s, Adele, was set on fire by her ex-husband—a story that made headlines nationwide. Chaya-Beila spent three months by Adele’s hospital bed, using all her savings to help. After that came the long process of recovery, the children’s illnesses and the struggle to re-establish her wig salon. Then came 7 October.
The war halted everything. Their income dropped to zero, but even then the family did not stand aside. Chaya-Beila began cooking hot kosher meals for soldiers—first using her own savings, then with help from donors—preparing 80 to 200 portions each day.
When the fighting moved north both spouses returned to work. By then bills for arnona, utilities and salon rent had piled up while clients were few. Chaya-Beila took a second job as a care-giver just to keep the salon open. Then Gershon’s father fell ill and passed away. The family had to borrow money for funeral expenses and travel, adding more debt.
Today both parents are working and doing their best, but their debts are heavy and the costs of raising four children are high. Their story is not unique; some people stay silent, others dare to speak. We share this not to elicit pity, but to remind everyone that before judging, try to understand. Even the strongest families sometimes need help, and asking is hardest for those who are used to helping others.
Gershon and Chaya-Beila’s son, Yaakov David, will soon celebrate his bar-mitzvah, and Gershon will turn fifty the same week. We can give them a birthday and bar-mitzvah gift: whatever amount you might offer a friend and his son facing such hardships. Donations will first go toward paying down urgent debts and then toward a modest but dignified celebration for Yaakov David. Every shekel matters.
If you know anyone who needs a new wig or maintenance for an existing one, recommending Chaya-Beila’s professional services would be a great help. Likewise, if you can assist Gershon in finding work in or around Be’er Sheva, your support would mean the world to this family.
Chaya-Beila’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haya.beila
Thank you for standing with them.
.png)
