April 20, 2010
Donors Save Hen Family From Losing Home
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Avinoam and Rachel Hen, the Israeli couple who suffered through a decade of tragedies and were on the verge of losing their Chatsworth home in March, will be able to keep the home thanks to the efforts of i Short Sale, the real estate company that negotiated a lower rate for their mortgage on their behalf, along with the generosity of several members of the Jewish community who offered financial assistance but asked to remain anonymous.
The Hens’ 25-year-old daughter was shot and killed by a terrorist in 2002 while working at the El Al Ticket counter at LAX; soon after, their 18-year-old son died as a result of a car accident. An article on their story in The Journal (“Endless Grief,” April 2) inspired readers to ask how they could help the Hens.
One philanthropist in particular, who asked to remain anonymous, will make a substantial contribution, paying the family’s mortgage for the next two years.
“We are so grateful for the help. We can sleep a little easier now,” Avinoam Hen said on Sunday, just after visiting his two children’s graves, as he does every week. “This person came to us like an angel from the sky.” On this particular Sunday, he would commemorate their deaths privately as well as publicly, at a community ceremony marking Yom HaZikaron at Stephen S. Wise Temple.
“I spoke to my children at the cemetery and told them that I can’t see who this kind soul is to thank him, but they can, so please watch over him, and keep him and his family safe.”
Read the background story here.
