120 Jewish women and girls who are in or have left relationships with Arabs, participated this weekend in a special Purim party held for them by the Department for Rescue from Assimilation at Yad L'Achim.
The party, which was held against the backdrop of the severe war in Gaza - which led to a significant increase in the wave of requests for help reaching the organization, opened with the recitation of a chapter of Psalms in honor of the soldiers fighting in Gaza and stationed in the north, and in honor of all those kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas.
Afterwards, lecturer Rabbi Orit Salomon spoke, speaking on the topic of joy and expanding on this context from a feminine perspective.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
She was followed by the "Rebbetzin of the Girls of Yad L'Achim," lecturer Yona Nussbacher, who taught the women about the halachic aspect of the holiday of Purim. At the end of her speech, each participant was given an elegant Megillat Esther and information sheets about the holiday of Purim.
After a break for a rich dinner, the participants watched a stand-up show hosted by Idit Lichtfeld, and later, to the sounds of joyful Purim music, they danced together with their social workers and the Yad L'Achim staff for a long hour.
As is customary at these parties, the moderator invited the women who wanted to, to tell about their personal process in returning to the people of Israel, in order to strengthen the other women who are dealing with life stories identical to theirs.
[gallery]
A special moment occurred when a young woman from a religious home, who for years has had difficulty breaking off contact with the Arab, despite a long treatment process that has not been successful so far. "I decided to leave him once and for all," the young woman said to the applause of all the participants and the astonishment of the social worker accompanying her. "Today's party gave me the realization that I want to establish a Jewish home. Today I saw the story of the holiday of Purim from a different angle and I want to be part of the chain of generations of courageous Jewish women who do everything to be part of the Jewish people.".
Yad L'Achim says that alongside the story of that young woman, they see significant progress in the other girls accompanied by the organization.
""You can really feel that they are part of a process," says Shuri Kostelic. "They are stable, strong, happy. There is no doubt that the consistent connection to Judaism, the Torah and the mitzvot throughout the year does the job. The war that is taking place in Gaza also further illustrates the difference between Israel and the nations, and helps them 'take sides,' break away from their Arab masters and become part of the people of Israel, and thus bring an end to the difficult suffering they are going through.".
