On September 4, Joseph had it all. A young, healthy and fun-loving Kenyan Jew and former acrobat, Joseph was about to marry Ronit, the love of his life, and take on the role of stepfather to her precocious 3-year-old daughter. Together, the young couple hoped to build themselves a better life in their beloved Jerusalem.

Joseph first arrived in Israel as a performer with the African Circus; a group of acrobats from Kenya who dazzled crowds around the country with their stunning, energetic shows. Drawn to Israel and inspired by the Jewish people, Joseph stayed on in Israel after his performance to delve deeper into the People of the Book he grew up learning about in Nairobi.

After much study and exploration, Joseph made the decision to convert to Judaism through an Orthodox Beit Din in Gush Etzion. And now, at long last, he was ready to build himself a home and a family.

Fast forward to November 27… All was going well: Joseph, newly married and embracing his new religion, was working hard to support his family, and midway into the process of getting citizenship. That morning, Joseph and his closest friend boarded a bus to Tel Aviv together when his world suddenly crashed down around him.

…

By the time Ronit was able to get to the hospital to see Joseph, the staff had already rushed him to the angio suite, where they were performing an emergency procedure to restore blood flow to the left side of Joseph’s brain. Joseph had suffered a massive embolic stroke, which has, thus far, left him with right-sided paralysis and considerable language impairment.

This alone would be enough to devastate any family; however, in Joseph’s case, the consequences are even more dire. Unfortunately, the slow-moving wheels of government bureaucracy have left him without the residency or citizenship status that would entitle him to medical coverage under the National Health Insurance law that all Israeli residents and citizens benefit from. The first two weeks of life-saving medical care alone have already cost the family upwards of $40,000, an astronomical sum that they cannot begin to afford. This is further compounded by the fact that Joseph is not bringing in any income, and it’s not clear when or whether he might regain the capacity to do so. Meanwhile, the bills keep piling up.

Ronit is working doubly hard to keep the family and house in order while bussing out to Tel Aviv almost every day to take care of Joseph and struggling to continue her work as a Marketing Content Manager.

She is courageous and determined, yet she cannot carry this burden alone.
Joseph is fighting the odds to regain functional independence, but he won’t get back on his feet without our help.

We NEED to help them. With his blood family far away in Kenya and in no position to contribute financially or otherwise, Joseph needs his Brothers and Sisters around the world to come to his aid. In addition to the costs of his current hospitalization (Phase One), Joseph will need months of rehabilitative treatments such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy (Phase Two) in order to make a full recovery.

“The Ger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” [Leviticus 19:34]

Please contribute any amount you can. We appreciate it immensely and every dollar will go directly to helping Joseph with his recovery. Please message us if you would like more info on this campaign.

Prominent backers: Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski of Golders Green Synagogue and Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier of Shir Chadash Emek (where Joseph and Ronit attend services) and formerly of Fifth Avenue Synagogue can attest to the veracity of the campaign.

(Contents of Joseph’s bag at the time of his stroke)

Cost Breakdown – Phase One:
Interim Medical Bills and Hospitalization to date, including emergency intracranial angioplasty and 10 days in ICU: $40,000 (NIS 135,000)
Estimated Medical Bills for Remainder of Hospitalization and Life-Saving Cardiac Surgery (based on hospital estimates): $35,000 (NIS 120,000)

Your generosity will ensure that Joseph and Ronit can make it through the next few months and that, with God’s help, Joseph will be back on his feet soon!

Thank You and Tizku L’Mitzvot!