The Fellowship has distributed 618 emergency aid cards to individuals, families, and elderly people in Israel who have been displaced by Iranian and Hezbollah strikes. Being displaced from home is the reality for thousands of people in the Holy Land, and this aid is essential in helping them purchase food, clothes, and medicine. When rocket sirens go off, people only have minutes to react, meaning many essentials are left behind.
This was the case for Ester, her husband Javier, and their sons, Eitan and Zohar.
It was the third day of the war when an Iranian missile hit the courtyard of a local school near Ester’s house in Be’er Sheva. The structure was able to withstand the impact, but the windows, doors, and one of the walls were destroyed. Fortunately, the school was empty, as in-person education had been suspended across Israel. Ester says it was a miracle that no one was killed since the neighborhood is densely populated.
Four years ago, Ester and her husband made aliyah from Argentina and have lived in Be’er Sheva ever since. The city is a popular place for olim from South America to settle. Ester and her family are currently living in a hotel, along with other members of their community who are facing the same situation.
“Everything was quick and well-organized,” Ester remembers. “They gave us medical attention and psychological counseling, and they took care of everyone who needed medication that they had left behind. They even had pet food prepared for people who were displaced with their dogs and cats. But it’s not easy to leave everything behind and to suddenly move your life to a hotel with no warning.
“At first, the dominant feeling was shock because of the missile that hit so close to us. Then it was uncertainty, because we did not know what our life would look like. Now we are in sort of a pause from everyday life, wanting to go back to our home and to our routine. We don’t know when it will be possible to repair the house and go back to the life that we built, but we are trying to pull through. I remember the first day I went into the apartment and I just wanted to sit and cry, but I could not do that because everything was full of broken glass, so I did not even have a couch to cry on. We went back there and cleaned it several times, but we still can’t get rid of the glass.”
Despite the difficulty, Ester and her family are moving forward. Javier has returned to work, and Eitan and Zohar are studying for their university entrance exams. The Fellowship, which helped the family make aliyah, has remained in contact with them and provided them with emergency aid.
“We are so grateful for everything that The Fellowship has done for our aliyah and for what the organization continues to do for us,” Ester says.
