Hello friends and lovers of Israel,

I am writing to you on behalf of one of the many, even hundreds, of new young widows and orphans to emerge from the current war in Israel.  I would like to bring to your attention this particular story for two reasons.  The first is that this hit really close to home.  My son-in-law Oz, is 31 years old and is a commanding officer in the Egoz Special Forces unit.  He grew up in the settlement of Yakir in the Shomron, and befriended a boy named Gavriel who was three years younger than him and had lost his father at a very young age. Oz took Gavriel under his wing and was not only a father and a mentor to this boy, but much more. Gavriel ended up marrying Yuval who was the daughter of the family that "adopted" Gavriel.  My son-in-law and daughter were best friends with Gavriel and Yuval and they ended up living next to each other in the settlement of Eli.  Yuval and Gavriel had two children (an 18 month old girl and a three and a half year old boy) and she was 20 weeks pregnant when Gavriel was tragically killed by two Hamas terrorists who were hiding out in the second floor of an abandoned building and opened fire as Gavriel led his troops to the second floor.  Today (February 29) is his Shloshim,

The other reason I am initiating this campaign is that it is so emblematic of the tragedies that have befallen these families who are just starting out in life with very young children who will never get to know their brave hero father.  There needs to be more awareness of the shattered families that are left in shambles after the fathers/husbands have fallen in combat.  The wives are often left to carry on with meager governmental benefit payments made out to the families.  It is perhaps the greatest of all tragedies to come out of this current conflict.

Gavriel and Yuval were simple people.  They didn't have much and lived extremely humbly.  Before the war Gavriel studied in Yeshiva during the day and studied for a water engineering degree in the evening.  He worked odd jobs cleaning high-tech offices and working with youth to finance his studies.  He was her world and her everything. She was extremely dependent on him.  And now he is gone and she is left alone to pick up the pieces, give birth alone and bring up three children.  

Our family is undertaking this mission of supplying her with some everyday appliances and furnishings to make her world a drop sweeter in light of her horrific circumstances she is now faced with.

My wife Maya and I have taken it upon ourselves at this great time of need to help raise $180,000. What greater "mitzvah" is there than assisting widows and orphans? Please donate generously today.  Our emails are below if anyone needs more information.

Danny- dannygewirtz@gmail.com

Maya - mayagew@walla.com 

Thank you!

Here is the Link to the funeral of Gavriel Shani (go to one hour and 40 minute mark to hear Yuval, his wife, speak)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xEUPK1IQv0