‘Along with the pain, there are blessings and joy’ – Rachelle Fraenkel

STAFF REPORTER

The initiative was organised in the context of August being Women’s Month and follows the attendance by Board representatives of the wreath-laying ceremony and opening of an exhibition in Boipatong on June 17. Speakers included Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Recreation and Culture, Faith Mazibuko; Rachelle Fraenkel, mother of one of the three Israeli teenagers abducted and murdered by Hamas in June 2014; and SAJBD Gauteng Council member Professor Karen Milner. 

The delegation comprised representatives from the SAJBD, SAZF, JNF, Emunah and the Union of Jewish Women, as well as 20 grade 11 learners from King David Linksfield and King David Victory Park. 
Fraenkel referred to the “unbelievable support” that the immediate community and the nation as a whole had provided to the families of the missing boys and how much this had helped them in dealing with their grief and loss. Responding to comments made by a representative of the Bana Ba Modimo support group, she said that she had been particularly struck by the observation that regardless of what they might have suffered, people should not define themselves and their lives in terms of victimhood.  
“There is part of our lives that is pain and loss and there is the part of our lives that has a lot of joy and blessing. I can feel the pain but don’t have to become my pain, feel sorrow and loss, but don’t have to become my sorrow and loss. With the help of family and community, and survivor support organisations, we can experience a full life that, along with the pain, has blessing and joy, and allows us to speak out and tell our story,” she said. 
Milner commented that the purpose of the day’s event was to reach out across nationalities, countries, races and religions to understand one another’s pain and bear witness to one another’s stories. 
“I am humbled by the depth of faith that I see in all the people here today, and the strength that faith gives so many who have experienced loss and sorrow. All of this is part of the resilience of the human spirit, the ability to find meaning, hold on to faith and reach out to others who may be helped by sharing experiences and gain a deeper understanding of one another’s humanity” she said.