Interfaith service honors hospitalized second grader

Click here for updates on this story

    https://wnep.com/2020/02/01/interfaith-service-honors-hospitalized-second-grader/ (WNEP ) — The last time Asher Dicton attended synagogue at Temple Israel was in November.

Rabbi Larry Kaplan recalls how he read aloud at the podium.

“He just did it perfectly with no mistake!” the Rabbi said. “It was the next week he was diagnosed with cancer.”

The bright and outgoing second grader has spent the past few months at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia battling an aggressive form of leukemia so a special service was held in his honor.

“We decided to call it ‘Asher Koach.’ Koach is the Hebrew word for strong and we say Yasher Koach which means may your strength continue so I thought it would be cool to do an Asher Koach,” said Rabbi Kaplan.

Asher’s classmates from Chester Street Elementary were welcomed into the temple along with the Wyoming Valley West Middle School choir.

The interfaith service was inclusive for all no matter their religion; they were united by their love and support for Asher.

Although Asher couldn’t join his friends and classmates at the synagogue in person he was able to watch via live stream; he was so excited during the service he even chose to facetime in to say hello.

“That was wonderful. It’s hard to see him like that know he’s looking to more chemo,” said Rabbi Kaplan.

“We’re overwhelmingly humbled, grateful as a family to have so much support from everybody from you know, the Jewish community, from our school Kingston,” said Anthony Dicton, Asher’s father. “It’s really indescribable how many people are coming out to support this little boy.”

Asher was moved from the pediatric ICU to the intensive therapy unit on January 17.

A GoFundMe page continues to raise funds for the Dicton family to offset Asher’s medical bills.

You can donate here: gofundme.com/f/1tgtx8uq1c

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.