On Lag Ba’omer, 45 tear-stained candles will light the flames of the bonfires. Lives lost, homes shattered – the tragedy in Meron still reverberates throughout the Jewish world. A year later, Am Yisrael is mourning. 

Yossi Kohn is one of the 45. A fun-loving 22-year-old bochur of the Mir Yeshiva, Yossi was kindness personified. A beloved son, brother, student, and friend to so many, the departure of Yossi Kohn from this world is a loss for us all.

As Jews, we transform pain into growth, calamity into blessings. The Kohn family of Cleveland, Ohio, has set out to continue the legacy of their son, making a meaningful impact for generations to come.

Can you name the two most remote Jewish communities in America that need a mikvah? 

It’s Jackson, Wyoming, and Boise, Idaho.

The last states in the Western US to build a mikvah are gearing up to do so in honor of Yossi Kohn. Countless lives will be enhanced through the mikvaos that will bear his name. From Olam Habah, Yossi will bring even more incredible brachos to Olam Hazeh.

On Lag BaOmer, an urgent campaign is being undertaken to raise the final $500,000 to build these two mikvaos. 

This is Yossi’s first yahrtzeit. Each one of us can be instrumental in bringing kedusha and tahara to the most remote corners of America. Please visit Charidy.com/OdYosefChai to participate and give Yossi’s neshama a tremendous aliyah.

From Cleveland to Meron to the Mountain West, the continuity of the Jewish people unites us all. Kol Yisrael b’yachad – that is the meaning of Od Yosef Chai.

Indeed, our dear Yosef Yitzchak Aizik ben Menachem Mendel lives on.

Click HERE to donate now.