Parents will do whatever is necessary to help their children thrive. That’s especially true for Harel and Raya Avrutsky. They created a loving home for their daughter Carmi and son Beeri. 

There was one additional challenge for Beeri. He was born prematurely and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

As a toddler, Beeri crawled or used a walker. We first introduced Beeri, now 10 years old, last December. Over the past five years, the Avrutsky’s have stayed several times at the Ohel Rina and Michael Bikur Cholim House in University City.

The house, donated by philanthropist Michael Staenberg and maintained by the Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis, has been a godsend for Jewish families who travel to St. Louis for the medical treatment of a child. The world-class pediatric neurosurgical team at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has the expertise to help children like Beeri. Most of those families stay at the Bikur Cholim House for several weeks.

The Avrutskys’ situation was complicated because Beeri needed follow-up orthopedic surgery and a lengthy rehab regimen. They left their home in Kibbutz Yahad in Misgav, Galilee, and arrived in St. Louis in July 2019 for Beeri to undergo selective dorsal rhizotomy, or SDR. It is a sophisticated procedure, and Children’s Hospital is one of a handful of facilities that performs it.

Beeri responded well to the surgery and slowly began improving. Harel and Raya wanted Beeri and Carmi to have a normal, stable childhood and to get the best medical care available, so they stayed in the U.S. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack was another factor in delaying their return home. On that day, the Avrutskys lost two family members. Four others were kidnapping and subsequently released.

The family has been in St. Louis long enough to become Cardinals, Blues and St. Louis University basketball fans. They have learned local customs and met new friends. Beeri’s rehab and recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. He now shoots free throws at the Jewish Community Center and wields a tennis racket with a firm swing. By the time he reaches bar mitzvah age, Beeri may be able to ascend to the bimah without assistance. 

But one thing medical science cannot fix is the financial cost the family must bear.

Mounting medical expenses

One of the data points revealed in the Jewish Federation community study released March 24 was that 17% of Jewish households face financial insecurity. Those families have insufficient funds to cover three months of expenses. The Avrutsky family faces a more pronounced drain on their finances.

The Jewish community has offered them support for some financial needs. They also receive comfort and encouragement in other ways. These intangible acts of kindness are important for their emotional well-being, but there is still the nagging question of how to pay the bills and continue to support Beeri’s post-surgery rehab.

The Avrutskys have nearly depleted their life savings and funds allocated to their son’s medical expenses. Their American experience was never intended to last this long. They planned ahead and had a substantial contingency savings. Their Israeli community helped, too. A week before they left Israel, paralympic medalist Keren Libowitz spoke to an audience at Hertzog High School in Kfar Saba. Proceeds were allocated to Beeri’s treatment.

“We had a big fundraiser in Israel before we left,” Harel Avrutsky said. “We had about $400,000 saved up to last for two or three years if we had to stay longer.”

Medical expenses have been the biggest drag on the family’s finances. The price tag for the two surgeries was nearly $100,000. Physical therapy can run as high as $500 per session. Israeli citizens have access to health insurance, but it doesn’t cover SDR surgery in the United States.

Despite living frugally, the family’s savings are now nearly depleted. To stretch their funds, the family shops in bulk at Costco and clips coupons, and they’ve discovered low-cost or free services. Harel Avrutsky is a regular at the University City Public Library, where he reserves a private meeting room with free Wi-Fi for a three-hour block. He uses that time to schedule rehab sessions for Beeri. After school, he works on stretching and strength exercises with his son. Harel Avrutsky is well-suited to that role. In Israel, he was a licensed movement and posture therapist, and Aikido instructor.

“We do try to do everything to save in so many ways every time that we can,” he said.

Support from St. Louis Jewish community

Since the Avrutskys arrived in St. Louis, the Jewish community has provided them with moral support and often tangible assistance, like the rent assistance program offered by Jewish Family Services. That program pays for two months rent per calendar year for qualifying families. 

There have also been small, but meaningful gestures, said Arik Poremba, a family friend who lives in St. Louis. 

“We have hosted them for Shabbat dinner and Jewish holidays, and given them winter coats,” Poremba said. “I do as much as I can. They really need the help, but they don’t really feel comfortable asking for it. It breaks my heart.”

In addition to assistance in St. Louis, the Avrutskys have made a few trips to Northern California for Beeri’s treatment and visits to specialists. That part of the country is notoriously expensive for short-term rentals. Their visa status doesn’t permit the family to rent a house. Fortunately, a retired Jewish doctor with a second home in Marin County offered the Avrutskys the use of the house, fully stocked with food, for three months.

“I think they even tried to make some excuses to let us stay there longer,” Harel Avrutsky said, laughing. “They didn’t take a dollar from us.”

Harel closed his physical therapy practice in Israel when the family left. He has been unable to work and earn a paycheck in the U.S. largely because of his tourist visa status. Raya Avrutsky has an R-1 visa, which allows her to work at a religious institution. She is a part-time Hebrew teacher at Torah Prep, where Beeri and Carmi attend classes for a half day. They are also home-schooled. Beeri’s English is proficient enough that he often translates complex text for his father. Beeri soon will be a teenager. He is in many ways a typical American kid. He likes baseball, rock ’n’ roll and especially NCAA and NBA basketball. He even has shot hoops with Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

Recovery and rehab

Beeri’s first medical procedure was a sophisticated neurosurgery performed in 2019 shortly after the family’s arrival. That was followed by orthopedic surgery and many months of rehab. Harel’s training in PT has been serendipitous. He spends the bulk of each day working with Beeri on the rehab exercises required to strengthen his body. 

Poremba, who is a physical therapist, explained the regimen.

“It’s a full-time job,” Poremba said. “We’re talking about four hours a day of rehab and physical activities. Beeri has to keep moving. It’s 24-7 with all the treatment and the activities.”

Beeri and Carmi Avrutsky understand that their parents have made sacrifices, but they don’t know how dire the family’s finances are. Their parents have shelter them from those realities. They do recognize their nomadic lifestyle is probably different from other kids their age. To date, the family has lived in 37 places (and counting) since arriving in the U.S.

They hope to return to their home in Israel, perhaps as soon as next year. Beeri will be stronger, and perhaps there will be peace. Who knows, maybe the remaining hostages will have been released by then and a long-term ceasefire achieved in Gaza. That is wishful thinking on the Avrutskys part, and they realize there are many things they can’t control.

“We always try to determine how to create the best environment for Beeri,” Avrutsky said. “It will depend on him, too. I want him to be able to choose what he wants out of life. He will need to continue his rehabilitation and maintenance. We are not doing this to achieve any kind of special recognition. We just want him to be safe. I’m waiting until he turns 15, and then I’ll see if he’ll give me a kick in my butt or a big hug.”

Beeri Avrutsky’s rehabilitation journey can be followed on the Beeri Is Walking Facebook page (visit facebook.com/beeri.is.walking).