“Let us grow together” was the name Orot Teacher’s College chose for the Empowerment Seminar for widows of the Swords of Iron War that took place at its Elkana women’s campus just before Tu B'Shvat.
MK Limor Son Har Melech (Otzma Yehudit), who, as a young and pregnant mother, was driving with her first husband when terrorists shot and murdered him, shared her experiences and participated in a forthright panel, along with Yael Shevach, a Makor Rishon columnist and mother of six whose husband was killed by terrorists while on his way home, war widow Yael Zeiger and coordinator of Orot College outreach to bereaved families, Sarit Gizbar.
Rabbi Eitan Eisman, head of the College’s Board of Trustees, whose two grandsons were killed defending Kibbutz Alumim on October 7th, introduced the program after words of welcome by college president, Prof. Meir Hildesheimer.
“Tu B’Shvat, just a few days ago, is the period when trees in Israel, silent and bare all winter, begin to regain their ability to send out buds in preparation for the future, for blossoms that bloom in the Spring and the fruit they bear in the Summer. Everyone is familiar with the almond tree which blossoms by Tu B’Shvat, but most other trees in the country begin slowly, and are just starting to show signs of resilience and the return to new growth which eventually bears fruit”, said Orot Teacher’s College Administrative head and CEO of the Rambam Heritage Center, Rabbi Chaim Fogel, explaining the choice of the week of Tu B’Shvat to hold a day-long seminar/workshop for war widows.
The dozens of women who met at the Center for the Family at the College came to gain strength to cope with the challenges that their lives now demand. The day was carefully planned by Dr. Chana Katan, head of the College’s Family Center, a well-known expert in the field of family cohesion and development along with other faculty members in the field, to inspire, provide skills and allow for expressing feelings in a supportive environment where participants are part of a peer group that understands them without words.
Sadly, the college counts a significant number of war widows among its own young married students and alumnae and the day-long conference is part of an ongoing outreach effort at Orot College’s Family Center to help war widows since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War. Projects include support in running the widow’s home, students who volunteer weekly to do homework with orphaned children, and more. The families are treated to outings, taken to performances, and given gift packages before the holidays.
Well-known writer and speaker Rabbi Lior Engelman was on the program and spoke about the strength each person has within them, enabling each of us to grow and move on.
Dr. Katan moderated a workshop where the women were given tools, strategies, and mechanisms for coping with the challenges they face after the tragic change in their family’s circumstances. The inspiring and emotional session showed the importance of being together with others who have suffered a similar loss, enabling the much-needed expression of feelings on the part of young women who now have become the heads of their families and must provide for their children as well as help them achieve feelings of security and self-confidence.
The conference closed with a moving performance of “The dance that lies ahead of me.” by the Noga Dance Troupe, established in 2009 by graduates of the college’s Department of Dance.