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“A nation without a past cannot move on to its future”

Throughout the world, the Jewish people have just finished celebrating Passover, the holiday that marks the exodus from Egypt, the deliverance from slavery. But today on the eve of Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day we commemorate a dark period in the history of the Jewish people, a time when exodus was refused, when the doors of refuge were closed. We are approaching a time when the Holocaust survivor population is dwindling with each passing day and as the last generation who will be able to hear their direct testimony; it is our responsibility to preserve their memories, stories and the lessons taught by history. As Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel famously said, “for the dead and for the living we must bear witness”. It goes without saying that we need to honor the memory of those who perished but we also have a commitment to the survivors to keep alive the memory of the past. Our pledge is more than “NEVER AGAIN” it is also “NEVER FORGET.” WIZO is also committed to keeping alive the memory of the past through education. In our daycare centers, schools and youth villages, we teach each new generation the story of the Holocaust. All WIZO chaverot also keep this pledge when privately; within their own hearts and families, they remember.

By remembering the past we can transform the future but to do so we need to move from memory to action. A wonderful example to illustrate this is an initiative taken by a group of Israelis in their mid-twenties who felt detached and looked for a way to give new meaning to the memory of the Holocaust. These young people will get together in about 20 private homes throughout Israel to discuss different aspects and issues related to this somber day of commemoration. Holocaust survivors will be invited to give their personal testimony. In this way they are keeping their commitment “NEVER TO FORGET”.

The story of the Jewish people has been one of exile, destruction and rebirth. From the ashes of the Holocaust emerged the miracle of the State of Israel and the survivors began a new life. The tenacity of the Jewish people and its immense will for survival is symbolized by the heartwarming story of a new tree a few weeks ago, in advance of the upcoming Holocaust Remembrance Day Yad Vashemat which was planted. This was no ordinary sapling as it was a sprouted from a chestnut tree that Anne Frank wrote about in her diary and it was donated by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam to Yad Vashem and other institutions when the original tree became sick and collapsed in 2010. The sapling was planted near the Children´s Memorial and International School for Holocaust Studies, in the presence of Hanna Pick, Holocaust survivor and childhood friend of Anne Frank.

As Ahad Ha’am, the Hebrew essayist, and one of the foremost pre-state Zionist thinkers stated “A nation without a past cannot move on to its future”.

With best wishes,

Janine Gelley

Chairperson, Division of Organization & Tourism

World WIZO Executive

Escalation of Hostilities in South of the Israel

Despite the fact that a ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, has been announced by a senior Egyptian official, saying the truce went into effect at 1:00 am Tuesday two Qassam rockets and a mortar shell exploded in the area between Sha’ar Hanegev and Ashkelon Coast regional councils. No injuries or damage were reported. The Color Red alerts sounded in the area prior to the explosions.

However, Israeli officials said that airstrikes in Gaza will be halted only once rocket attacks end. “Quiet will be met with quiet. Should the fire not end, we’ll see further escalation,” one official said.

More than 40 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in Israel Monday, with the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting 13 incoming projectiles. The Air Force staged more than 10 strikes in Gaza, killing at least two Islamic Jihad terrorists.

WIZO USA announced an emergency campaign under the heading,

‘WIZO will take them under its wings, and do everything in its power to alleviate their pain’.

‘They are counting on us…..Can we count on you?

We have to seriously address the subject of the shelters in our Day Care Centers. The government has not come through according to our expectations, and since the Lebanon II War, they have done little to add shelters to the Day Care Centers, schools, etc, in which children learn.

The situation is still very precarious.  Whereas government workers have been promised that their salaries will not be affected by the days they were forced to stay at home, looking after children, due to the closure of educational institutions, which are still closed for the fourth day, other citizens are already feeling the loss of business as shops cannot open, and the economy is once again, brought to a halt.

Many of the children are in fear, and even when the all clear sounds, they refuse to leave the safety of their homes.  There are going to be many psychological repercussions in the future.

Our greatest strength is the resilience of the population in the South, over one million residents who are steadfast in their support for the IDF and the Government of Israel.

Many of the missiles have been intercepted by the Iron Dome and although nothing can take the place of a ceasefire, we are blessed with the wonderful research that is being done in Israel, for at the end of the day, we just have ourselves to rely upon.

Iron Dome (Hebrew: כיפת ברזל‎) is a mobile air defense system which was developed  by the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometers away whose trajectory would take them to a populated area, in all weather conditions.  According to the Jerusalem Post the system has shot down 90% of rockets launched from Gaza and fired at populated areas, saving hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

WIZO mourns the sad passing of Michal Modai z”l

World WIZO Honorary President

It is with shock, and deep sadness, that we announce the passing away of our beloved Michal Modai, z”l, Third President of World WIZO, on Friday, 2^nd March.

Michal Modai z”l

Habonim volunteer at WIZO Ahuzat Yeladim

Volunteering at WIZO Ahuzat Yeladim is not the ordinary Hadracha experience that Habonim Dror participates in on its Shnat Program. It is a school which takes on what is perhaps one of the most challenging tasks in Israel – educating troubled youth. These youth have unstable family backgrounds, poor socio-economic status and learning difficulties. They lack direction and values. The environment of the boarding school makes the task all the more challenging, with the staff having to be the children’s family away from home providing them with all the guidance and discipline necessary.

As a group of four Australians walking into the school, we expected to engage in education with enthusiastic students in a structured routine. Before long, we realized that the experience demanded us to be a different type of Madrich, and that relationships and connections with the students would not come so easily. Over the weeks we gradually integrated among the students, speaking to them around the school and having discussions with the school’s ‘kvutsot,’ telling them about ourselves, our background, our country and hearing their stories in return – providing them with a source of support which they were otherwise lacking and a relief from the intensity of the social dynamics of the dormitories.

In many cases, the school required us to work in incredibly difficult situations, whether it be with rebellious and violent students or with students who had very serious personal issues. At times we were required to keep students focused in class or we simply sat and explained concepts to them which they found fascinating – e.g. Australia does not have conscription because we have peace. Often we were faced with a seemingly impossible task which in turn proved to be an amazing learning experience.

Ultimately it was difficult to see the fruits of our labour, having only been in the school for three months. However, it was important for us to understand that we were an important link in a chain of countless other individuals who together, over the course of many years, prevent these kids from ending up with a bleak future. It provides them with the opportunities to succeed in life and we would encourage Australian Madrichim to continue their support of this WIZO School, inspiring the children to learn English and learn about different cultures.

Federal Mazkir of Habonim Dror Daniel Teitelbaum described the program

as “a unique example of old and young Zionists working together improve the state of Israel”.