Yad L’Achim Prepares Women Rescued from Arab Captivity to Celebrate Pesach in True Freedom

Even in the days leading up to Pesach, Yad L’Achim staffers are at work, preparing the heroic women who were rescued from Arab villages to celebrate the holiday.

This week, an event was held in Be’er Sheva for dozens of residents of the south, as part of a series of meetings that will be held in the coming week throughout the country. A significant number of the participants had not celebrated Pesach for many years – during their isolation in Arab villages – and were happy for the opportunity to hear the story of the holiday, its laws and its meaning.

The women enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, participated in a special workshop for making reclining pillows at the seder, and heard the laws of the holiday from Rabbanit Yona Nussbacher.

Rabbanit Orit Solomon spoke about Pesach and its meaning for every single individual, in every generation.

At the conclusion of the event, the women received a special booklet published by Yad L’Achim that explains the laws of the holiday, and how to prepare for it, in clear, simple language. They also received a box of handmade matzos, a Pesach Haggadah and Haggados for their children.

The women were profoundly grateful for the chance to get together and prepare for Pesach. “Yad L’Achim family – thank you! Every time I am surprised anew,” wrote one woman. “Each encounter is more amazing than the one that preceded it. We learned about personal freedom and a life with meaning.”

Another wrote: “The warmth and connection to other women allow us to simply be, connect us, empower us and give us strength for body, mind and soul.”

A third participant had these words for the social worker accompanying her: “Thank you, thank you! Thank G-d that I am part of this amazing family. The upcoming Pesach will look different from the previous ones. Then I was in my ‘Egypt.’ Today I am a Jew free to worship Hashem.”