The Bravest Five Year Old Ive Ever Met: Muli Safrai - of Blessed Memory By Rabbi Akiva Males Its been one month since our community said a hurried good-bye to a wonderful family. Over the past three years, the Safrai family (of Jerusalem, Israel) had become fully woven into Harrisburgs Jewish communal fabric. Between their full involvement at the JCC, the Silver Academy, Kesher Israel Congregation, the lives of so many of our community families, and more, the Safrai family truly enriched the beautiful tapestry that is the Harrisburg Jewish community. In December of 2011 (just months after recovering from the flood brought on by Tropical Storm Lee), our community first met Eli and Myriam Safrai and (at that time) their two sweet children - daughter Liam and son Muli, short for Shmuel. Soon after his first birthday, little Muli had been stricken with an aggressive form of cancer, and went through a year of treatment in Israel. After much research, the Safrais learned of a revolutionary clinical trial at Penn States Hershey Medical Center which they hoped would be able to keep Muli cancer-free. Shortly thereafter, the Safrais arrived at the Ronald MacDonald House in Hershey and were warmly welcomed by Harrisburgs Jewish community. Muli (then three years old) received treatment at Hershey until the early summer months of 2012. I still marvel at how much our community did for the Safrais during that time. In reviewing my notes, I see that people shared with them an automobile, their own kids winter clothes, toys, car seats, and a GPS - not to mention supplying the Safrais with fresh meals. In addition, Hebrew speaking local volunteers regularly accompanied Liam to the JCCs Brenner Family Early Learning Center to help her interact with her teachers and classmates. As Hershey is quite a distance from Kesher Israel, many members of KI opened their homes to the Safrais and welcomed them as their guests each week for Shabbos, as well as the Jewish holidays. The Safrais presence enhanced KIs services whenever they were with us. Muli was such a delightful little boy who loved playing with his big sister Liam and the other children at Shul. It will always gladden my heart when I think of him excitedly opening KIs ark at the end of services, while being held securely in his fathers arms. The Safrais did not put their lives on hold while Muli was being treated. In fact, Myriam completed her coursework and exams to receive her doctorate in medicine from an Israeli university. During that time, the Safrais also traveled home, so Myriam could give birth to the couples third child, a son named Leshem. Additionally, Eli continued working toward his Ph.D. in physics. In the summer of 2012, our community was glad to bid the Safrai family farewell when Mulis treatment was completed, and they left to return home to Israel. Unfortunately, just prior to the 2013 High Holiday season, Myriam and Eli contacted me with the news that little Mulis cancer had returned. After assessing all their options, they concluded that the best course of action would be to return to Harrisburg where Muli could receive further treatment at the Hershey Medical Center. While it was wonderful to enjoy last years High Holidays with the Safrais, all of us at KI wished it could have been under a very different set of circumstances. From the day the Safrais returned to Harrisburg in the fall of 2013, our Jewish community welcomed them once again with the warmest embrace possible. Once again, people were eager to assist the Safrais. They outdid themselves by lending them furniture, kids clothes, an automobile, computers, and printers. Additionally, members of our community helped in providing assistance with housing, baby-sitting services, and much-appreciated funds. (One day, while I was exercising on a JCC treadmill, a generous member of our Jewish community handed me a small wad of cash to pass along to the Safrais via KIs Rabbis Discretionary Fund. Where else but the JCC could that happen?) Once again, the JCCs ELC and the Silver Academy stepped in, generously providing the Safrai children with a Jewish education while Muli was being treated. During the Safrais stay in Harrisburg, our community also got to know Eli and Myriams wonderful parents and family members who would visit and offer their helping hands on a regular basis. This past Passover, Myriam and Eli were blessed with the birth of their beautiful daughter Kayla - who was named at KI prior to a festive Passover Kiddush. All in attendance wished the Safrais a hearty Mazel Tov!, and we prayed that they would enjoy many more joyous family celebrations. Unfortunately, after battling cancer so courageously for too much of his young life, with his loving parents at his side, little Muli Safrai passed away at the Hershey Medical Center on Tuesday morning, July 22nd. With many people helping, the entire Safrai family was able to fly back to Israel that same night. Muli was laid to rest the following day in Jerusalem. While the Safrai family observed Shivah in Israel, a hard-working group of volunteers helped tie up their loose ends here in Harrisburg. They packed up and shipped their belongings to them, coordinated the return of all borrowed items, and thoroughly cleaned their home. I want to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful Jewish community of Harrisburg. Thank you for sharing so much love, energy, and resources with the Safrai family during the many months they spent in our community. (I also want to express our communitys appreciation to Dr. Moshe Bell and Dr. Holly Engelman for all their efforts on behalf of Muli and his family. I cannot even begin to count the ways in which they went above and beyond the call of duty.) I honestly believe that our communitys collective efforts played a great role in strengthening the Safrai family, thereby enabling little Muli, to fight his cancer as courageously as he did. Since December of 2011, Harrisburgs Jewish community was enriched by having the Safrai family in our midst - and we will miss them terribly. While our community did much to help them during this difficult chapter, little Muli was the catalyst to bring out the best in our community - and for that we will always be thankful.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 21:27:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015