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Hosted by the children of Avraham Avinu in Londo

חברי ההוסטל "עלי שיח" עם המארחים בלונדון

Translation by Yehoshua Siskin

"Shalom, This is Chezi Adler. In the midst of the chaos at airports everywhere, our return flight from London to Israel was canceled. Such an occurrence is never pleasant, but what happens when a group of autistic adults, residents of the Alei Siach Hostel who require constant supervision, are stranded in this way? Even our luggage had already been checked in.

Here we were, stuck in the airport all alone. Our airline had us running back and forth without offering any real solution to our plight. Hours passed. You should know that for someone on the autistic spectrum it is extremely difficult to function in a crowded and noisy airport, especially while experiencing the anxiety that comes with uncertainty.

And then, out of nowhere, good people saw us and began to help. All 13 of us found ourselves under the wings of the Goldberg family. For three days we were hosted in the spacious home of a family whose heart was even more spacious. When we arrived exhausted from the airport, hot freshly made falafel awaited us. We slept in plush beds and luxuriated in extra large towels. And, of course, the Goldbergs provided us with a wonderful Shabbat and, finally, accompanied us to the airport on Sunday.

In the Haftarah of parashat Balak, we read: 'He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do justice, and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.' (Micah 6:8) Who among us would open their home to strangers with autism? And now, who would dare to say the British are cold people?...

This week in London, we were privileged to meet the children of Avraham Avinu."

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