Archives for July 2009

The Good People Fund and ATZUM Do Some Good Together

The Tzedakah Diaries - 2009-07-15The Good People Fund is a Tzedaka organization that works with ATZUM to help survivors of terror and Righteous Among the Nations. It is one of the organizations that ATZUM turns to as a resource to try and meet some of the needs of the people we assist before depleting our own resources. Atzum’s social worker, Karyn London, recently turned to the Good People Fund to assist a boy named Avi who was seriously injured by a Hamas rocket in last winter’s Gaza war in the south of Israel.

In the beginning, Avi’s doctors did not have much hope for his recovery. If he would survive they felt he would be brain-damaged and have many other physical problems. Avi however proved the medical establishment wrong and has been steadily improving over the course of the last 7 months.

The road has not been smooth however. Avi is still undergoing intensive rehabilitative therapy and both of his parents have not been able to work due to the care Avi requires. His rehabilitation is in Jerusalem and the parents need to travel the significant distance from Beersheva many times a week.

Avi’s family have received financial support but what Avi needed was a little fun. It is for this reason that Karyn turned to the Good People Fund who agreed to sponsor some fun activities for Avi. This week Avi was finally able to go to the zoo and willl hopefully take another trip to the bowling alley and have a therapeutic horse riding session.

ATZUM thanks the Good People Fund for their continual support of our efforts.

Anton Polischuk ז”ל

We are deeply saddened to inform you that Anton Polischuk, grandson of  Righteous Among the Nations Viktor Polischuk’s, passed away July 7th at Hadassah Ein-Kerem in Yerushalayim. Over the past few weeks Anton’s condition deteriorated drastically despite Hadassah staff’s untiring, wonderfully directed and remarkably devoted efforts to restore Anton’s remission to enable a bone marrow transplant. The aggressive return of his cancer was uncontainable and Sunday Anton knew his death was approaching.

After fighting so hard for many years and especially the last five months he was able to find the final strength and courage to say goodbye to his fiancé and mother at his bedside. They are returning home to Ukraine with his body and ATZUM has arranged that final journey for Anton.

We wish to express our gratitude to those who generously contributed to this struggle to try to save Anton’s life. His unanticipated five month hospitalization and surgeries, intensive care treatments and chemotherapies were made possible by your caring. By so doing you honored the last wish of his heroic Righteous Rescuer grandfather; afforded his family the assurance they did all possible for their only child; brought support to his fiancé; and allowed Hadassah to gain crucial experience with a course of treatment that may well help save the life of a bone marrow transplant patient in the future.