Selah
SelahCourtesy

Besides taking victims, murderous terrorist attacks, like the one in Tel Aviv Sunday, always garner their share of “ the injured,” with the injured requiring everything from treatment for life-threatening injuries to treatment for shock. Often we hear nothing more about those who are injured in terror attacks; one assumes that they are eventually sent home, where they heal with the help and support of friends, neighbors, and family.

But sometimes, the victims of those attacks don't have friends and family in Israel to help them recuperate.  Israel is a nation of immigrants, and many new citizens – olim from the U.S., Russia, Ethiopia, and points in between – do not have the support system second and third generation Israelis have built up. They have no one to help them with errands, and day-to-day concerns – and most important, they have no one to help them work through the grief, shock, and fear they now face after going through a harrowing experience.

Where family and community fail them, Selah, the Israel Crisis Management Center, steps in to help, says Ruth Baron, Director General of the organization. For nearly 20 years, she says, Selah has tended to the needs of Israel's immigrant community, helping those who need social, mental, and practical assistance in dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack – or, for that matter, any personal or family tragedy.

To honor its work, Selah client Alexandra (Shura) Shtiemer of Germany participated in a special event on Yom Hazikaron (Independence Day) in the Knesset. Mrs. Shtiemer tragically lost her only son, Igor Gorgol, 32, on August 19, 1993, murdered while guarding a road construction site near Maale Adumim.

She was chosen by the Israeli Government to represent the families living abroad of those who fell in Israel’s wars or lost their lives in terror attacks. This was the first time the Knesset ceremony included representatives from families abroad of victims who died in attacks in Israel. During her stay, Mrs. Shtiemer was accompanied by Selah representatives, including Baron.

In addition to the ceremony being held at the Knesset, Mrs. Shtiemer visited the Terror Victims Memorial on Mt. Herzl, as well as her son’s grave in Hevron, where she oversaw the resetting of the gravestone. With the help of Selah, Mrs. Shtiemer was able to restore her only son’s grave.

“Although it's been many years since her son's tragic death, Mrs. Shteimer still misses her son – more than ever, actually, because her husband passed away recently,” says Baron. “Our staff of social workers and counselors worked with her extensively, patiently helping her work through her grief. Although she still hurts, Mrs. Shteimer says that her experience with Selah made her appreciate being Igor's mother – both during the 22 years he was alive, and now,” she says.

Besides terror victims, Selah works with victims of other tragedies – car accident, fires, drownings, etc.  - both with survivors of tragedies, and their families. “Over the years, we have worked with about 22,000 people,” says Baron. “We have 120 volunteers part time and full time, who are specially trained in the sensitivity skills needed to deal with victims of tragedies. There isn't a day that goes by that we di not get contacted by hospitals, police, and others for assistance with an immigrant victim.”

After Sunday's truck incident, Selah immediately dispatched a staff of Russian and Ukrainian volunteers to visit the injured in the hospital, after finding out that several of the victims were immigrants.

Besides counseling she says, Selah provides victims and families with material help as well – whether it's money to help a family whose breadwinner is in the hospital, or providing a plane ticket for a family member living abroad. Selah survives mostly on donations, with a small part of its budget provided by the Ministry of Absorption.
Selah's web site is http://selah.org.il/.