SOPHIA FRANCO
FIGHTING A MEDICAL BATTLE IS FRIGHTENING, NO MATTER WHO OR WHERE YOU ARE, AND NO MATTER HOW MANY LOVED ONES SURROUND YOU. IMAGINE, AT A TIME LIKE THIS, HAVING TO LEAVE YOUR HOME TO TRAVEL TO A FOREIGN CITY FOR TREATMENT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
Imagine your life is being turned upside down by medical chaos, and having to worry about something as simple as a roof over your head. Imagine the physical, mental and financial strain that you might feel at this time. Now imagine that instead of being alone, in a cold hotel, or in a stranger’s basement, there was a beautiful place to stay, for free, for you, and your family. Imagine that it was a place with every amenity, where you could feel the comfort and stability of home.
Eva Shammah, Elliot Shelby, Natalie Ammar Shalom, Regine Shrem, and Lillian Srour have all been realtors in Brooklyn, New York for a while now. Often, they would receive calls asking if they knew of any short-term leases for people coming from foreign countries for medical treatments in NY. Each of them would stop what they were doing when these calls came in, and try their best, but this task was nothing short of impossible. Apartments like this did not exist in our area, and most people coming in could not afford to pay rent. There were hardly any landlords willing to do short term, and even if they would, the apartments were empty. Without furniture, linens, towels and sheets, how could anyone stay there?
About a year ago, the opportunity arose for this group of realtors to do something good. An older couple had put their home on the market. It was decrepit, and mold infested, and the owners were actually ill from the conditions they were living in. Elliot remembers, “We walked out crying. They couldn’t afford to move but we decided then and there to rent them an apartment immediately. We couldn’t leave them there to get sicker, and we knew the house would sell, eventually.” The realtors paid the rent for the couple and decided that when the house sold, they would use the commission to do something amazing. The day came, and together they rented their first “hesed” apartment. They thought long and hard, and called their new project, Habayit, Home away from Home.
Natalie explained, “The apartment was old, but we set it up and made it stunning. We got some community boys to paint, we changed the kitchen, and cleaned it up until it was sparkling.” Eva continued, “Our community is beyond! We called maybe a dozen people, and within hours we had everything donated; furniture, towels, sheets, washer/dryers, dishes, pots, silverware, games, toys, books, and even sefarim! We stocked the apartment with food and literally everything we could think of that people might need, down to a list of kosher restaurants that we taped to the fridge.”
The first call the team got was for the family of a baby born with a cleft palate. Excited, they filmed the apartment and sent the video to all the people who helped make it happen. Eva recalled, “One of the girls who had helped called me and said, ‘I can’t believe this—when I was a baby I had cleft palate. We lived in Syria at the time, and we came to NY to do the surgeries. We bounced from house to house every time I needed medical treatment, and I remember this as one of the most difficult times in our lives. Look how Hashem got me involved in this! I had no idea. G-d bless you all.”
As the calls kept coming in, the team realized that while one apartment was amazing, it would not be enough. They called on more realtors, and got more people involved. By May 2022 they had four apartments completed, and two more rented, but the calls kept coming in. They created an Instagram account and started a fundraiser online. Their goal was $360,000. With endorsements from Rabbi Joey Haber, Rabbi David Ozeri and community giant Harry Adjmi, they raised the funds in 48 hours.
Rabbi Ozeri explained, “These people are suffering already, with cancer, infertility, blood disorders, and so many unbearable situations, we should never know, and finding a place to stay is just another level of anxiety. To know they have a home to come to with every imaginable amenity is solving half their problems. These apartments are going to be used for life saving situations. We have so many organizations but something like this is long overdue.”
Eva recalled, “After the fundraiser my phone was ringing off the hook! ‘I have an apartment, I have furniture…’ People were stopping me everywhere, donating like wildfire, volunteering, dropping food off, sneakers—anything you can think of! Everyone was so enthusiastic, wanting to help and be a part of it. We have a chat with over 200 participants now; It’s just so beautiful to see how the community got together on this.” Habayit now has nine furnished apartments, and four more being renovated. They are all local, so that shuls are close by, and people can help out with cooking, driving, and anything else that might be needed.
Natalie continued, “These people are coming from all over. Some as far as Israel, Mexico, Panama, and Argentina, and others from Boston, Florida, and Colorado. All of them are our brothers and sisters, far from home, and scared. When they come through our doors we can actually see it— the sigh of relief. They are thinking, ‘I don’t have to worry, I have a roof over my head and a community that’s here to help me.’ For them, this is a five-star hotel. This work we are doing, this money that’s being donated, it isn’t just paying someone’s rent. It’s changing their lives.
The coincidences keep coming. One landlord, when asked if he would be interested, replied, “When I was young, my father had cancer for nine months and we stayed in a hesed apartment in Boston. I always said NY needs a place like this, and now you got me involved.”
Messages like this flood Eva’s inbox, “There are those that do hesed, and there are those that love hesed. You are definitely one of those who loves hesed. Every detail, every show of affection and that indescribable brotherhood, make the stay of those of us who arrived, something much more beautiful and easier to carry. Infinite thanks for everything!”
With fourteen Habayit apartments you would think some would stay empty, but that’s not the case; there is actually a waiting list at times. Imagine that this organization did not exist! Elliot said, “Our guests need to concentrate on one thing—getting better. We try to take the burden off, help, however we can. I equate the work we are doing with a type of a mishkan. It gives the patient and his family a home base, a refuge, and something to be thankful for. For most, that is all they need. May everyone who stays in these apartments have a speedy recovery, and refuah shelama!”
Thank you to the Habayit Home Away from Home team: Eva Shammah, Natalie Ammar, Elliot Shelby, Regine Shrem, Lillian Srour, Ruthie Srour, Paulie Shamah, Aaron Cohen, Renee Kassin, Batya Esses, Muriel Mizrahi, Evie Daniel. And to our donors, who took the mitzvah and ran with it: Mattresses for less, Appliance Palace, Addy and Company, Light Lab, Delta Children, Community Locksmith, The Modern Mezuza, Sam Salem and Son, Ikey Locksmith and Security, Blends Décor, Betsons Furniture, Khasky, Telco, American Linen, Inspired Home, Meridian, Faux Florals, Maven Interiors, Sweet Home Collection, Art and Cook and so many more! You know who you are!
Follow on Instagram: @Habayit_ny
Donate on our website: www.habayit.org
And to volunteer, contact Regine Shrem at:
(917) 405-2316
Tizku l’mitzvot! (May you merit to do more mitzvot)
Sophia Franco is a mom and grandma, and a lover of the written word in all forms. She has been an author, lyricist and poet for our community for more years than she can count.
