SHELLEY TROPE-FRIEDMAN President, WIZO SA
As President of WIZO South Africa, I was privileged to visit Israel recently for a meeting of the 38 WIZO Presidents from around the world. Our visit took place at an auspicious time: the release of the first female hostages.
It was a relief to see that the process had started for the release of the hostages, following the horrific October 7th massacre.
As part of the visit, we went to see some of the projects that WIZO South Africa has been involved in. For instance, we visited the daycare centres which are funded and maintained by WIZO South Africa. In many of these, the people running the facilities are parents themselves – with their own children and their own homes, caring for 12 other children in their own homes, and providing a loving and normal home environment. These places of safety are
a miracle.
While we felt heartbroken on the one hand, the projects also made us feel quite uplifted. We saw toddlers from three months to three years old playing happily in a place of safety, while their parents – doctors and nurses freed up to deal with critically ill and injured patients in hospitals. I felt immensely proud of our South African women who have been raising funds for these homes. By doing this, we are looking after Israel for the future.
Our trip included a visit to Hostage Square, as well as a visit to the Nova Festival site at the Gaza border. We saw how impossible it must have been for anyone to escape or to hide. We marvelled at the fact that anyone survived or could even have been taken hostage, and that not everyone was murdered in a horrific way.
We also visited an army base to participate in a wonderful communal barbeque. The solders danced with us; they laughed with us.
But we also became aware of the heartbreaking picture of the silent struggle faced by countless women as they try to deal with the impact on women of the war on the home front. Many of them are in mourning; many have a loved one held hostage. Their voices need to be heard, and their situations dealt with appropriately.
It is terrifying and mortifying to imagine what the hostages are going through. And, with Pesach close at hand, I thought about the concept, ‘Let my people go!’. We still have
59 hostages in captivity. As we enter the period of Pesach, knowing that we will be able to celebrate in a safe environment, we pray with all our hearts that they will soon experience freedom and be able to celebrate again. Dead or alive, we need them back in Israel.
Together with the strong support of the many men and women who have continued to give voluntarily of their time and funds to help us rebuild and assist, WIZO South Africa has managed to provide support and strengthen many in Israel during this extremely difficult period.
Chag Pesach Sameach! Am Yisrael Chai! ●
Website: WIZO South Africa
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