By Leah Paley
Sixteen years ago, I faced every parent’s worse nightmare … I laid next to my oldest son Yosef Chaim (Yossi) as his heart slowly stopped beating.
This came after a 3 and a half year battle he fought against leukemia. He had gone through one bone marrow transplant and was considered cured after two years with no relapse. Except, he did relapse, nine months after he was cured. He faced a second transplant almost three years to do the day after his first. Yossi died just 6 weeks shy of his bar mitzvah.
When Yossi was first diagnosed, I used to update people via his web page “blog.” Through his web page, Yossi’s story has touched people, and years later, it continues to.
Here is a sampling from some of the notes the family received from both Jews and non-Jews, religious and not yet religious, all walks of life:
“… His warmth and genuine kindness were an inspiration for all and will be treasured and remembered forever …”
“When we think of Yossi’s personality, what immediately comes to mind is his smile. It was really something beautiful to see. And so many saw it, because he used it so often!”
“… If it wasn’t for your inspiration, and request for mitzvah doing on behalf of Yossi’s merit, we would not be doing some of the mitzvahs that we now now do. These mitzvahs are now ritual, and will always be connected to your son …”
“… He has so much affect on so many people, and will change so many lives. Mine included. His life, though short, had more meaning than 100 of my lives…”
“… Yossi was a miracle … a breathe of greatness that you see so rarely in life…”
“You have changed the world by all the charity and kindness, all of the prayers on Yossi Chaim’s behalf…”
“I still remember what a pleasure Yossi was. He would always greet me with a big smile on his face. … His infectious enthusiasm and joyful nature was only the tip of a big, beautiful, giving, and gentle spirit…”
“Yossi was an extraordinary person. I think he was an example of goodness to all who knew him. G-d appointed Yossi to be a messenger of one-ness.”
This year will mark his 16th yartzeit. We are launching a campaign to buy a sefer Torah l’iluey nishmas Yosef Chaim haLevi (z’l) ben Michoel Dovid haLevi (tbl”c).
The sofer whom we commissioned is a childhood friend of Yossi’s. What makes this so poignant is the fact he never got called up to the Torah. The Torah is going to be given to the Yeshiva of Virginia. We are reaching out and asking for donations. Please help to continue his legacy.
To read more and join, visit inmemoryofyossi.com/sefertorah
She created a magnificent library for her son’s Yeshiva among other projects. Yossi must have been an amazing boy to have a mother like Leah (I didn’t know her then.) This is a beautiful zchut for his neshama and will bring the family comfort. Please contribute.
As a mother and a Bubbie, I read this article with tears. Surely, all that you did and do in his zechus lives on. Best of luck with this important project. May your sweet son be called up to the Torah NOW with the coming of Moshiach.