We may take it for granted, but breathing is not something everyone does easily.
Chananel is an Israeli teenager living in Maaleh Adumim. He is a wonderful 14-year old kid, very personable and so full of life. Unfortunately, for practically his entire life, he was unable to take a big, fresh breath. Until this summer, when he received a lung transplant.
Until the transplant, a rare genetic lung disorder prevented Chananel from doing what comes so easily to us, simply breathing and staying alive without second thought. The disease prevented him from being and living fully. A disease that his older brother, the family’s first born son, succumbed to at a mere 2 years old, after his lung transplant didn’t take – at just about the time Chananel was born.
Baruch Hashem, Chananel has persevered, is now winning his battle and on his way to a new and different life. However, that battle has been a long one, fought not just by Chananel, but his family, especially his parents. That battle took many resources—timewise, emotionally and financially. Fortunately, aside from the usual family, friends and community, another person emerged as a source of strength and support, one of Chananel’s caring, creative and artistic teachers, Shai Kehat of Maaleh Adumim.
Kehat, known for his meaningful artwork, devoted many hours of his time and talent to paint a unique and exclusive painting of Jerusalem in honor of Chananel. His idea was to sell the painting, with all the proceeds going to Chananel’s family and provide some assistance after years of their battling health issues for their sons. Hours and hours of Kehat’s time and talent could provide some relief to Chananel and his family. He just needed to figure out how to maximize the fruits of his efforts. Little did he realize that part of his plan’s success to help his 14-year old student started to develop 30+ years ago.
Just over 30 years ago, I had the privilege to study in Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh (KBY). Although there was a rather large chutznik (students from overseas) program in the yeshiva, there was a fair amount of interaction between the chutzniks and Israeli students. Dorm rooms were mixed, shiurim were all in Hebrew and most impactful to me, we were randomly assigned an Israeli chavrusa. That’s how I met one of my dearest friends to this day. It was after Pesach my first year at KBY and I was paired with a second-year Israeli student, Gil Kehat, just returning from his initial nine months of service in the IDF. We were introduced to each other in the Beis Medrash and started learning together. Notwithstanding some language and cultural differences, we became fast friends and spent a lot of time hanging out together (aside from learning). Almost immediately afterwards, he brought me to his home in Kiryat Ata for Shabbos. His family was all Israeli. His paternal grandparents came from Europe before the formal establishment of the State of Israel and his father, Dovid, was born in Israel prior to 1948. His mother, Channah, was born in Romania and came to Israel wither family at about age 2, just around the time of the original Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Gil was a twin. His twin brother, Shai, studied in Yeshivat Maaleh Adumim and his older brother, Yossi, studied in a Charedi yeshiva and didn’t come home as often. I was probably the only American the family knew personally, but was quickly treated and accepted as a ben bayit (household member) and started to refer to Dovid and Channah as Abba and Ima. (To this day, 30+ years later, when I call them, see them or talk about them, I call them Abba and Ima.) Despite initially being somewhat limited in getting together, Shai and I also became close friends.
I didn’t have many family members or family friends living in Israel at the time, so “Bet Kehat” in Kiryat Ata became my home away from home and yeshiva. Through the remaining time of my first year and then my second year at KBY (as well as future visits to Israel), I would schlepp to Kiryat Ata. And it was certainly a schlepp. First, a hike to the closest main intersection (Tzomet Ashdod, about 20+ minutes away from KBY by foot), then a bus to the Central Bus Station in Haifa, and then a “local” bus from Haifa to Kiryat Ata. It was far enough from yeshiva that I used to call it Kiryat Ekvelt. (In Yiddish, Ekvelt means “end point of the world.”) However, it was undoubtedly worth the trip. I have great and vivid memories of our time together in Kiryat Ata and on all our tiyulim (tours). From the Kehat Shabbos table, to rappelling in the Judean Desert, to hiking in the Golan Heights, we spent fun and beautiful time together as family.
Fast forward 30 years.
For three decades, I have been living here in the United States, in West Orange for the last 20+ years. Abba and Ima now live in Mizpeh Moreshet in the Galil, right near Gil, his wife, Etti, and their children. Shai and his wife, Rutti, live with their children in Maaleh Adumim. I have visited Israel about 10 times since studying at KBY. Neither Gil nor Shai have been to America. Yet I have gotten together with at least one of my twin buddies and their family on every one of my visits to Israel. We stayed in touch (via air mail letters, cassette recordings, phone calls, emails and Whatsapp) and remain in contact to this day. My wife and children know them, their wives and children, as well as Abba and Ima Kehat. (Abba and Ima came to visit the NY/NJ area about 10 years ago and my wife, Linda, and I had the zechus and privilege to host them for most of their two-week visit.) My daughter and son-in-law, who made aliyah, have been to visit the Kehats for Yom Tov and other special occasions. Now, my Israeli grandchildren will please God grow up knowing our “original” Israeli family. When my daughter and son-in-law got married in Israel, Abba Kehat received a bracha under the chuppah. My two sons called him up as “grandfather of the bride.” All this from the “random” assignment of an Israeli-American chavrusa.
Today, Gil and Shai are both highly qualified and respected educators, and still very musically talented and artistic. Gil has a close relationship with his many students in the town of Carmiel in the Galil, and Shai the same in Maaleh Adumim.
This past year, Shai shared with me a video of how he interviewed Rachel, a Holocaust survivor, and learned that when she and her family were leaving their town in a wagon around Pesach time, her father, a rabbi, suddenly stopped the wagon and got off. He had seen fruit trees in bloom on a hill by the side of the road and descended for a few minutes to say the special bracha of Birkas Ha’ilanos. Then, he quickly got back on the wagon and continued their journey, before they were separated and Rachel never saw her father or mother again. Shai painted a beautiful oil painting depicting a rabbi standing by a tree outside of town near a wagon making a bracha. The road continued off the scene, seemingly to an unknown place, but later reappears enroute to Jerusalem. Furthermore, he had each of his students add to the artwork by painting small flowers in the springtime blooming fields. Lastly, when he and his students went to Rachel’s apartment in Jerusalem to present the painting, Shai had her add the last flower to complete the work. The moment was extremely meaningful to survivor, teacher and students alike. Realizing the impact his art can have, the idea to paint for Chananel came to his mind. (To see a short video of the interview process and painting presentation, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtPa24LycpY.)
During my most recent trip to Israel this summer, our families (four generations) got together for dinner in a restaurant in Jerusalem. As happens somewhat frequently during these events, Shai and I disappeared into our own world of personal conversation. During this one, Shai told me about his idea and we finalized the Chananel plan right then and there –the very same day Chananel completed the transplant. The plan: I would bring the painting to the United States, have it framed and auction it off with all proceeds going to Chananel’s family. To effectively do that, I would set up a website, www.FreshBreathofIsrael.com, and somehow get the word out to others. Hopefully, some philanthropic individual with a passion and love for Eretz Yisrael, Am Yisrael and original artwork will purchase the painting, helping Chananel and his family. A true win-win.
It’s amazing how things work out. Who would have imagined what some random international chavrusa assignment would lead to 30 years later? But at least three families are glad it did. To quote a dear friend of mine (Gary Scharlat), “God works in mysterious ways – for those who aren’t paying attention.”
For more information about Shai’s painting and to purchase it, or to otherwise support Chananel’s Fresh Breath of Israel, please visit www.FreshBreathofIsrael.com or contact me at [email protected].
May this year be a year of refuah, yeshuah and geulah for all of klal Yisrael – individually and collectively.
By Avi Laub
Avi Laub is a resident of West Orange and a member of Cong. AABJ&D for over 20 years.
