By Leni Wesly:
A salute!
In the early 80’s one of my teachers in a course on couple therapy was Michal Kidron. She impressed me to the point where I didn’t forget her. To our mutual delight we bumped into each other years later at a conference on Family Therapy. Fast forward to around 2010, a very excited, and very angry Michal calling: Am I aware of the situation in South Tel Aviv?! Do I know how those that saved their lives in Sudan or in Eritrea by coming to Israel, are treated?! Outright rejected?! Totally unrecognized?! How Israel is not honoring the treaty it signed with the United Nations concerning the international rights of those seeking asylum?!
That’s how I became involved in the work of the Zichron Group, a mini humanitarian organization accompanying about ten families as long as necessary. Sometimes we succeed in helping them with the U.N. to leave the country for a more hospitable one. Sometimes we help them get medical care. Sometimes they are the victim of violent physical attacks perpetrated by Israelis. Sometimes they manage to improve their lot, and disappear from our radar, only to be replaced immediately by another family. Often they are single parent (female) families, sometimes multi- problem families. All of them in the most difficult situations. We cannot imagine.
Hod Ve-Hadar counts among its members a very devoted group of steady contributors to the Zichron Group, be it a monetary contribution, children’s clothes or a monthly dry-food donation. I want to salute you all, for your continued support of the Zichron Group.
Thanks to you all, ‘our’ families do not go hungry, will not be put into the streets because they can’t pay the rent, can pay for a taxi after a late Friday evening dialysis, can have their child in pain be treated pro bono by a dentist we find for them, can see excited happiness of their children upon receiving laptops some big business was going to throw out but Michal rescued.
So on and so forth. The Zichron Group REALLY couldn’t do all this without your continued support. May you be able to continue doing all you have been doing these many years.
January 2022