Organisations
During Israel’s fires, WIZO again showed its mettle
It’s hard to believe that a whole year has gone by so quickly. And what a tumultuous year it has been for us all! The news reveals disaster in every corner of the globe and we all held our breaths as we watched events unfold in Israel.
OWN CORRESPONDENT
As Israeli society battled wildfires around the country, new challenges emerged every day, for which WIZO provided the solutions. WIZO branches have been doing all they can for those who have lost everything – house, contents, clothes, memorabilia – everything.
Unfortunately, WIZO Achuzat Yeladim Boarding School had to be evacuated due to raging fires. One hundred children as young as seven years old, and teenagers with severe emotional conditions, were among the boarders.
The children were taken to WIZO Nahalal. Those who have homes to go to were sent home for the weekend and remain there for the moment. For children lacking family support and unable to go home, WIZO staff opened their hearts and homes to host them. Upon receiving further details, WIZO will be able to plan the immediate future, with much sensitivity to minimise the disruption to their daily routine and school work.
WIZO invites you to make a gift to support the WIZO Fire Appeal today and help one of the various WIZO projects in Israel desperately needing our help at this time. Banking details: WIZO Johannesburg, Nedbank, bank code 151105, account: 1511028858. Ref: Surname + Fire. For credit card donations please phone Batya on (011) 645-2515.
In June this year, Adi Altschuler, 29-year-old Israeli social entrepreneur, educator and activist launched WIZO SA’s Biennial Campaign. The audiences were riveted by her presentations, by her energy, by her remarkable achievements and her passion for changing and improving lives.
As an extraordinary “Agent for Change”, Altschuler’s talk reflected the embodiment of WIZO whose focus is to change and improve the lives of the vulnerable and less fortunate through a range of initiatives.
Helen Maisels Trisk, vice president of WIZO SA, spoke about WIZO’s many programmes in Israel and their high standards of excellence and care. She said that all WIZO facilities are real and that they do not simply live in the minds of the donors.
WIZO added a further dimension to its #SpreadingLight campaign in conjunction with the Shabbos Project, where it invited women from around the world to help spread the light by lighting candles and reciting a special prayer for peace in the home, for Israel and the world at large.
This year, we are inviting people to nominate women in our community who give so selflessly of themselves, bringing light into the world through their good deeds and actions. These women will appear on the WIZO Facebook pages as #ShiningLights because their light is one we should share as far and wide as possible!
Last month, WIZO South African Council members countrywide gathered at the beautiful home of Mushe Kirsh, in Johannesburg, for its Enlarged Council Meeting. All the necessary reports were presented and a wonderful address was given by Ayellet Black, deputy head of Mission Embassy of Israel in South Africa. The ECM reflected on the past and planned for the future.
Since the very beginning, WIZO federations around the world and in Israel, have always looked to its own next generation of chaverot to bring new ideas to the table, to provide fresh solutions and to engage women of their own age to volunteer in the WIZO movement, a movement that must march ever-forward hand-in-hand with the State of Israel.
WIZO needs Aviv members to harness the pioneering spirit of tomorrow, to encourage leadership and solidarity, to build upon the foundations laid by our mothers and grandmothers and to take WIZO forward into a future that belongs to them.
As this year draws to an end, we thank all those who worked hard and gave their commitment to ensure that our special projects in Israel continue to serve Israeli society.
We wish you a happy Chanukah and a safe and peaceful holiday season.