Next week, 20-year-old Chaya Sofer of Jerusalem will celebrate her wedding with family and friends. Though they will sing and dance as if all is normal, there will inevitably be a shadow of sadness over the event.
With looks of pity, guests will think of the bride’s past: After losing her father, Chaya took on many responsibilities to ease her mother’s grief. Mother Devorah works as a high school teacher, and uses her paycheck to support her six children alone. The family has struggled for years to make ends meet.
Nearly as tragic as her past, however, is the future which awaits the young couple. With the wedding taking place in just a few days, no apartment has been secured. Though she has worked and saved, Chaya has been unable to find a single home whose monthly rent she can afford. After their chuppah, the bride & groom will have nowhere to go.
The emotional preparation for homelessness has been a painful burden for the young kallah.
This is to say nothing of the other essentials the couple currently lack, including expenses related to the wedding hall, furniture and appliances. An urgent hachnasas kallah fund has been started to help save the young couple from humiliation during this sensitive time.
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