Grigory Katz

You may write a thousand touching words about someone who needs help. But what you need is to just look a child, desperately struggling for survival, in the eye. He wants to go to school, to ski, to play snowballs “hurling” them at the most beautiful girl in his class, to chat with friends, and dream about the future.
Andrey Kabetov, 15 lives in Kritchev, Mogilev region. Being officially disabled, Andrey has blood and bone marrow cancer.
Andrey’s rehabilitation after bone marrow transplantation requires expensive medicines Foscarnet (6,000 Euro per treatment course) and Vistide (4,585 Euro per treatment course), which his family cannot afford.

Looking at the Levyants you can tell that creative talent runs in the family.
Evgeny, the head of the family, is the author of an innovative pedagogical technique and numerous articles about the educational system in Belarus. Julia, his wife, is a Math teacher. They have two beautiful daughters: Anya and Galina. The girls have remarkable musical abilities which reconnected the family with their Jewish roots, history, and culture.
It all started four years ago, when a five-year-old Galina went to JCC Emunah’s vocal studio and Anya joined “Neposedy” dance ensemble. A year later Galina won her first award when her wonderful, ringing voice and artistic expression impressed the jury of the Galaxy of Talents festival. As time goes by, Galina keeps winning awards and has a great potential and desire to develop her vocal abilities.

Elizaveta Carp (b.1958) lives in Minsk. During the Second World War her parents were evacuated. Her grandfather died in the war while the other family members, like the overwhelming majority of Belarusian Jews, were tortured to death in the Minsk Ghetto.

Elizaveta finished secondary school and got a job as a factory worker. Now she is officially classed as disabled. She has had two strokes resulting in mobility loss and speech impairment. She also suffers from ischemia and diabetes which caused her leg amputation last year.

Elizaveta never got married and has no kids. Her sister Sofia is the only relative she can turn to for help and emotional support. Sofia never lets her sister down no matter how challenging the situation is. Right now she has arranged for Elizaveta to move in with her despite having declining health, poor living conditions and a physically challenged daughter to look after.