The Letters She Read 100 Times in Her Slovakian Prison Cell
A young woman imprisoned in Slovakia after a genuine accident told us that whenever she received one of Aleph’s letters, she would read it 100 times. Why?
by COLlive Editor · COLliveA young woman imprisoned in Slovakia after a genuine accident told us that whenever she received one of Aleph’s letters, she would read it 100 times.
Why?
Because when someone is alone behind prison walls, thousands of miles from home, knowing that someone remembers you can become a lifeline.
Across more than 30 countries, Aleph reaches our brothers and sisters facing imprisonment, isolation, medical crises and circumstances in which there may be no Jewish community—and sometimes no one else advocating for them at all.
Right now, one of our most urgent cases is a Jewish man who has been imprisoned in Western Asia for seven months. Authorities detained him after finding a very limited amount of legally prescribed, FDA-approved medication for anxiety and depression. Although prescribed by his doctor, local law required advance authorization to bring it into the country.
He faces eight years in prison. Baruch Hashem, there is a path to his immediate release through payment of a government-imposed fine/ He is struggling with serious medical issues and acute depression, making his situation especially urgent. BH thanks to man generous donors we are close to the finish line in bringing him home!
His is one case in a global mission.
Aleph’s International Department has coordinated:
• a 24-hour journey to bring kosher food to a Jew in Madagascar.
• Advocated for a mother held in solitary confinement in a developing country.
• Supported a wheelchair-bound former IDF soldier imprisoned in Latin America.
• Helped an Israeli whose friend was stabbed inside the prison where they were being held.
• Arranged visitation for a Jew imprisoned ten hours from the nearest Jewish community.
• Intervened when a young man attempted suicide in prison.
• Advocated for a man who was poisoned while incarcerated.
• Assisted two bochurim imprisoned in the Philippines for working without the proper visa.
Baruch Hashem, numerous individuals in these and other cases have been released.
And there are people Aleph has not yet found—our brothers and sistsers sitting in prisons around the world who may not even know that there is someone they can call.
HELP US REACH THEM.
We are seeking to raise $180,000 to sustain and expand Aleph’s international work, from emergency advocacy and efforts to secure release, to kosher food when none is available, or a visit where there is unbearable isolation. Advocacy where there is no one else to speak. And in some cases, the intervention is to help bring a person home. other cases it is providing Sukkos and Yom Tov supplies, medical intervention and the simple but profound reassurance that someone has not forgotten them.
Every dollar donated will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $180,000, doubling your impact and giving us the opportunity to raise $360,000 for this global mission.
In many of these cases, this work is literally Pikuach Nefesh.
Your gift doesn’t support just one case. It gives Aleph the ability to answer the next call, find the next forgotten person, and act when the next emergency comes.
No One Alone. No One Forgotten.
There is a famous story told of a Jew who arrived at Kol Nidrei completely drunk, singing and dancing. Some wanted to throw him out of shul, but Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev would not allow it.
He later explained what had happened.
The man had learned that a Jew he had never met was being held prisoner by the local squire. He went to plead for his release. The squire, in the middle of a party with his friends, offered him a cruel bargain: Drink ten cups of vodka, and I will free the prisoner.
After the third cup, the man felt he would collapse. But he kept drinking, using every last bit of strength he had, until he finished—and the prisoner was freed.
Reb Levi Yitzchok said of this Jew, “He has already accomplished everything one can achieve on Yom Kippur. He is already holding by Simchas Torah.”
Today, we are being given that same opportunity: to become a lifeline to a Jew we may never meet. To tell someone sitting alone behind prison walls, perhaps thousands of miles from home: You have not been forgotten. Your life matters. Klal Yisrael has not left you behind.
Wishing you a Gmar Chasimah Tovah! For more info please contact mailto:zvi@aleph-institute.org
Please note: The image shown is not of the individual whose case is described above. It depicts another Jewish inmate who received assistance from the Aleph Institute.
Never Miss a Headline!
Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story
Opt In
- I would like to receive the collive newsletter