Several months ago, posters were being circulated throughout the LA community asking for people to help locate a young missing woman (originally from NY).
On Beis Av (July 23rd), the Aleph Institute, received a frantic call from her mother, that her daughter, (Esther – name changed for privacy) was BH found…she had just been arrested. Esther (who struggles with mental illness) was living in tent city. She was emaciated and in very poor shape. Aleph immediately sent a lawyer who specializes in mental health cases to court to help Esther. BH the DA’s office declined to prosecute the rather trivial case (which stemmed from an alleged dispute with someone else in tent city), and the attorney Aleph sent waited for Esther and brought her to a hotel. Aleph’s Project Tikvah (focused on people in prison with mental health/addiction) then jumped in to help her.
A dark and tumultuous past came to light. When Esther was 14, her father had a heart attack. Because of the circumstances, Esther and her five siblings were sent to different foster homes. Esther’s psychiatric disorders emerged at this time, and she struggled to maintain a normal life. Despite everything, Esther earned a college degree and worked in special education. On medication, she was sweet, kind and intelligent, showing incredible progress. However, Esther stopped taking her medication in October of 2019, and shortly after went missing.
BH, with tremendous Siyata Dishmaya, Project Tikvah was able to help secure a spot in a very reputable hospital under the care of a very renowned psychiatrist (Dr. Pylko) who has taken Esther under his wings. BH Esther has been compliant with the treatment and is progressing remarkably. There are no words to describe her transformation over the past few months.
Her mother – who has a very tough life and who has experienced unbearable loss and suffering (including her oldest son being placed in a mental institution) – is pleading for the treatment, therapy and psychiatric care to continue for several more months until Esther will BEH have received all the support she needs to live a productive, healthy and safe life. The current psychiatric facility she’s living in – which also provides her with the various types of therapy she needs – is expensive but is very effective.
Her mother has launched a campaign to raise $90,000 which will cover the costs of helping Esther rebuild her life. The funds will be going directly to an escrow account of the Attorney (Alana Yakov-Lev) who will be overseeing their disbursement to cover the past, current and future costs of helping Esther turn her life around. Donations can be made directly here: https://thechesedfund.com/helpsaveesther/thechesedfundcomhelpsaveesther.
This is a tremendous Zechus to help Esther rebuild her life and give her mother much needed relief.
For more information, please email Zvi Boyarsky [email protected]
A Gut Moed and a Gut Yohr!
Rabbi Gershon Bess of Kehilas Yaakov
Rabbi Berish Goldenberg of Toras Emes
Rabbi Boruch Yehuda Gradon of Merkaz HaTorah Kollel
Rabbi Yona Landau of Touch of Kindness
Rabbi Nechemia Langer of Shaarei Torah
Rabbi Shimon Raichik of Congregation Levi Yitzchak
Dr. Irving Lebovics of Agudath Israel of California
Gary Apfel of Troutman Pepper
Rabbi Zvi Boyarsky of The Aleph Institute
