Help Walter Get Home

Hi! My name is Cate and my mother Valerie put together this fundraiser for her brother— my uncle—Walter Fischel.

Last month my Uncle Walt was evacuated from Ashkelon where he had been living and working for the past nine months. Because there was so much uncertainty around when and if he would return to work in Israel, he decided to hold off on heading back to the U.S. for a bit and instead did some traveling. Last week he landed in South Africa to visit some friends and, while on his way to meet them, my uncle was carjacked and shot in the face. Thankfully and miraculously, he is okay and will make a full recovery. However, all of his personal belongings were stolen including his passport, credit cards, and phone.

He was able to obtain a new passport and is expected to be well enough to travel next week, but his accounts have been frozen since the robbery and he is unable to book a flight home. (Not to mention the added cost of flying from South Africa to the United States last minute and on the weekend before Thanksgiving.) He is currently out of work and has a family to support along with anticipated medical bills. There's a lot of stress and uncertainty around this whole situation, but the first step is to get my uncle safely home to my Aunt Taty and cousins in Connecticut.

All funds raised will go directly to my uncle to assist with travel and medical expenses, along with living expenses for him and his family. Any donation you are able to would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my family during this time.