Dedicated to the memory of Jenny Morhaim

One of the hardest things about making aliyah, is hearing news from the old country.  There is no one who can really share your emotions and it can feel very isolating.  For this I am deeply grateful to the internet which seems to have done the jewish people a huge service in this instance.

At the end of last week, Husband discovered via Facebook that Jenny Morhaim, who I know through various channels and is also a relative via marriage, was taken seriously ill.  My reaction was the shock-type one has when you don’t really believe something has happened.  No, I said, she’s too young.  That couldn’t happen.

But it did.  And what made this particularly shocking was that the family has already suffered a major trauma.  Jenny’s mother passed away, several years ago, after suffering from cancer.   My cousin requested that people should both say tehillim and try to do one extra thing for shabbat in her honour, since Jenny was a big fan of shabbat.  Feeling helpless from such a distance, (not that I could have done anything had I been back in Hertfordshire) I said the Tehillim and decided my contribution would be to daven kabbalat shabbat.  It was very difficult, I could barely read the words through my tears.  I also woke up several times in shock over the weekend, and began to wonder, if I can barely breathe thinking about her, how on earth are her family coping??

The community were all in shock that lightening should strike twice to such a lovely family, and through facebook it seems a huge amount of effort has taken place in her name.  Thousands or people took part in saying tehillim and donating to a local cause.  Watching the funds pour in online and the comments from people all over the world, who knew her, or her family, or were just impacted in some way by what they had heard and wanted to help, has been awe inspiring.  Jenny, 27 year old mother of 3, had touched many people and everyone just prayed for a miracle.

Despite the community rallying, poor Jenny did not survive, and passed away on Monday evening.  Since then not an hour has gone by where she hasn’t popped into my head, and I ended up descending on both my neighbours with the children the following day as a desperate effort to stay somewhat composed.  Earlier, as I had been going about my mummy routine in a daze, pushing Jojo on the swing, I noticed Jojo slumped somewhat forward and wondered what he was doing.  I walked round to see his face and his eyes were closed.  He had fallen asleep and I hadn’t even noticed.

She was buried today, in Har HaMenuchot, next to her mother.  I pray that Hashem will take good care of her family.

I didn’t know Jenny so well, and have not seen her in a while, but I can tell you she was a very kind and sensitive person, with a very big heart.  I never knew her as a fellow mother, but I imagine she would have been a natural.  I would also describe her as a true lady, a trait which has somewhat been adopted by her niece Henya, who bears her aunts features.

There is an old saying that “The Lord takes the good ones”, and by this I suppose people are saying that Hashem wants only those who He imagines will be good company.  And Jenny, with her permanently sunny smile, was very good company.

Baruch Dayan Emet.

http://www.justgiving.com/JennyMorhaim