I couldn’t believe this story when I read it in Ynetnews. It seems that Israeli parents of a child who had cancer have left him in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand on the advice of a Buddhist monk, thinking that he is being protected from a relapse by being there. The boy, who is 12 years old, came up to some Israeli tourists dressed in a monk’s robe and started to speak fluent Hebrew, and explained his situation to them.
The parents are Buddhists themselves and live in Israel, and alternate visiting their son in Thailand. They claim that when he is 18 he can make a decision as to where to live permanently.
The doctors at the hospital in Israel where he was treated say he received a successful bone marrow transplant, and that follow-up treatments had been discontinued, but were needed.
This story touches a lot of nerves here in Israel, and I can see people getting passionate about whether the parents are doing the right thing for their son. I only wonder why they couldn’t have him stay in the monastery, but come back to Israel once in a while to get medical treatments (and see his family too?). It is also painful for people to see that the parents have abandoned Judaism.
West Bank Mama 
Feb 21, 2013 @ 17:57:23
How upsetting. I try to remember that every parent does what they think is best for their child, whether I agree with what they do or not, but it is hard especially when children are getting hurt. 😦