The Kerem pupil played a key role in the charity’s recent fundraiser to support seriously ill children and their families
April 22, 2025 15:43A nine-year-old boy who has been receiving treatment for leukaemia has raised almost £250,000 for the charity that has been supporting him during his illness.
Rafael Tahan, a Year 4 pupil at Kerem School in north-west London, was diagnosed with the illness in March 2023, undergoing intensive chemotherapy for around 14 months. Afterwards, he went onto a maintenance chemotherapy programme, which still entailed regular hospital visits.
During his gruelling treatment, Camp Simcha, a charity that supports Jewish children with serious illnesses and their families, frequently sent volunteers to entertain Rafael, visited him at home and also took him to a two-week camp in America. They also invited him and his family, who are members of Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, on a family retreat.
Speaking in a film for the charity’s recent match-funding campaign, for which he raised £248,000, Rafael said: “Over the last two years, Camp Simcha helped me through the difficult times. When I went to the first family retreat in 2023, it was such a happy place. It brought a smile back to my face.”
Camp Simcha provides children with “big brother” and “big sister” volunteers, also known as “ambassadors of fun”, who support both the child and their relatives. When Rafael went on camp in America, he was accompanied by his “big brother”, Raffi Ross. Rafael said: “Along with my other volunteer, Micol, Raffi came to see me in hospital, took me on trips and visited me at home when I couldn’t go to school. The doctors made me better, but Camp Simcha made me feel better.” At the same time, his brother, Joey, now 19, took it upon himself to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, the world-famous children’s hospital, where Rafael was being treated.
When he found out that Rafael was going to have to undergo chemotherapy, Joey, who was then studying for his A-levels at Highgate School, decided to shave his head so his little brother “would feel less bad” about losing his own hair due to the treatment.
Joey told the JC: “There was nothing any of us could do to relate to what Rafael would experience while going through chemotherapy, but I wanted to do anything in my power to make him feel less bad about it. A lot of his hair started to fall out, so I decided to shave my head and then thought, why not also make it into a fundraiser for Great Ormond Street Hospital who were taking such good care of him?”
Joey originally set a fundraising goal of £18,000 as 18 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word “Chai” ( meaning “life”) in gematria, but in under 24 hours, he raised more than £100,000. “It was crazy, the support everyone gave us,” he said. The money is going towards outdoor play areas at the hospital.
Recalling getting his hair shaved off and the impact it had on Rafael, Joey said: “We went to a kids’ hairdresser and made it into a fun experience. Rafael helped shave my head, and it definitely raised his spirits and gave him something to laugh about.
“He liked it that I then decided to keep my head shaved as at his school, there was no one else who looked like that.”
As well as paying tribute to the staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Joey also praised Camp Simcha, saying that it was their volunteers “who helped raise Rafael’s mood the most”.
Now a chemistry student at Imperial College, Joey said that watching his brother undergo such brutal treatment was “difficult, but we were always looking towards the end of the chemotherapy and at the small successes throughout. It was also rewarding knowing that I was helping someone so vulnerable.”
Camp Simcha CEO Daniel Gillis said: “Rafael’s contribution to Camp Simcha, raising an incredible £250,000 in our recent match funding campaign, has been extraordinary.
“He wanted something positive to come out of his illness, and the money he has raised to support families going through similar struggles to his will make a huge difference to so many people.
“Rafael also bravely shared his story for our campaign film, speaking with insight and a calm maturity well beyond his years. His courage in facing his own illness, combined with his selfless determination to help others, has been an inspiration to his friends, community and the whole Camp Simcha family.”
Kerem headteacher Naomi Simon commended Rafael’s charitable efforts, saying: “Diagnosed with leukaemia, Rafael faced an unimaginable battle, one that would have tested even the strongest among us. Yet, throughout his journey, he never once allowed his illness to define him. Rafael has never wavered in his determination to turn his struggle into a source of hope for others. He is a true champion…and we could not be prouder of him.”
She added that at Kerem “we celebrate not just academic achievements but the kindness, resilience, and generosity of spirit that define our school community”.
Pupils at the school support a wide range of charities, including Sebby’s Corner, Spread a Smile, North London Hospice and Hammerson House Care Home. “Tzedakah (charity) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) are values deeply woven into life at Kerem School, and we are immensely proud of the compassion our pupils show.”