The hospice nurses caring for our mother, Debbi Buckler, recently gave us the distressing news that she has only a few weeks left to live. Inspired by communities who rally to do good deeds to merit a refuah shleima (full recovery) for people suffering from illness, we decided to create a campaign for Debbi.

For almost two decades, our family has enjoyed escaping to our home in beautiful Cape Cod, MA. We have been blessed to make many special friends here, especially Rabbi Kuti and Rebbetzin Devorah Alperowitz, who run the Chabad House in Hyannis. The Rabbi and Rebbetzin have devoted their lives to Jewish Outreach and have tirelessly worked to provide a haven of Jewish life for residents and visitors of Cape Cod.

Aside from keeping the Chabad House going, itself no small task, Reb Kuti has been working for many years to raise money to build a Mikvah (ritual bath—see Home Page for more info). Though he has collected a generous amount, an additional $160,000 is required before construction can begin.

The significance of building a Mikvah in Debbi’s merit, aside from the opportunity to enhance Jewish life on Cape Cod, is the deep connection between Mikvah and having children, as the Mikvah is a ritual centered on family purity. There are countless stories of couples suffering from fertility problems who were able to conceive once the wife used the Mikvah. Further, a well-known segulah (good luck charm) for women who are struggling to conceive is to follow another woman who is nine-months pregnant into the Mikvah.

Doctors once told Debbi that she would never have children. After eight years of disappointment, Debbi became pregnant and when their first child, Rea, was born, Debbi had a cheering squad of nurses and doctors who came to witness the miracle. Supporting the construction of a Mikvah in the merit of a woman who experienced the miracle of conceiving after doctors proclaimed it impossible is a powerful parallel to the segulah of entering the Mikvah after a pregnant woman. 

We are happy to create a campaign in merit of a healing for our mother Debbi that will enhance Jewish life in her favorite place, and Gd willing, will enable other women to share her joy of motherhood. As someone aptly described Debbi:  “You don’t just love your children, you’re in love with them”.