The day Sammy’s* father walked out and never returned was the day Sammy stepped into a world filled with conflict. Left penniless, his handicapped mother worked long hours just to keep them afloat. Sammy grew up without boundaries, without guidance, and without close friends. When his mother remarried, her new husband showed little interest in the boy. The couple soon moved from Jerusalem, leaving Sammy behind to live with his grandmother.
Finding support at Boys Town Jerusalem
“In seventh grade, Sammy joined a Boys Town Jerusalem special education class, where we work to strengthen his emotional stability as well as his academic skills,” explains BTJ social worker Hadas Knopf. “Thanks to our supporters worldwide, we can fund smaller special ed classes, enabling us to focus on building Sammy’s self-confidence, giving him tools to overcome crippling learning blackouts and prepare well for exams.”
The power of a trusted mentor
Sammy’s teacher, Rabbi Yaakov Chanina, has become his greatest advocate. “Sammy knows I believe in him. His pent-up anger is beginning to ease, and he’s now started arriving at school on time.
“Although his learning disabilities make reading difficult, Sammy quickly grasps the material when I read it aloud. I know he trusts me completely. He – and so many of his classmates in crisis – are desperate for a father figure to support and guide them. This is my challenge and my privilege.”
Discovering the gift within
Beyond his teaching role, Rabbi Chanina directs Boys Town Jerusalem’s prizewinning Community Service program. When his class recently volunteered at a hospice for handicapped adults, Sammy took the initiative to communicate in sign language – his mother’s primary language – with a deaf resident. “From his own hardship, Sammy gave this woman such a precious gift,” Rabbi Chanina declares. “As his classmates watched him in awe, I proudly told Sammy, ‘You have a treasure to offer. You will enrich this world!’”
*Name changed for privacy reasons