Friends launch crowdfunding drive to help Ansbacher family

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help the family of Ori Ansbacher, the Israeli teen who was raped and murdered by a Palestinian man in February.

Friends who launched the campaign told Hebrew-language news outlets the family from the West Bank settlement of Tekoa has been struggling to cope with the trauma in the aftermath of their daughter’s murder.

As of Wednesday afternoon, supporters donated over a half a million shekels to the Ansbachers.

They said that Ori’s mother, Na’ah Ansbacher, has not been able to return to work as a education consultant since the murder. The family has four other young children.

“In recent weeks, the economic instability that stemmed from this horrible case… has grown,” Uri Schechter tells Yedioth Ahronoth. “Na’ah tells us that she is extremely anxious and isn’t sleeping at night.”

“We felt that we had to do something, and we [set this up] to alleviate some of the stress and difficulties that come with coping with this great loss,” he says.

Arafat Irfaiya has been charged with terror offenses in Ansbacher’s murder. Two weeks ago, Israeli security forces demolished his home in the West Bank city of Hebron.

On Tuesday, Jerusalem District Court ordered Irfaiya to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.