On The Ground Update
This heartfelt reflection comes from Veronica Vigdorchik, Program Director–Israel at Healing Across the Divides. In her own words, she shares the profound experiences and challenges she encountered during two deeply contrasting days in her work.
On Wednesday, February 11, I visited the closing meeting of Ana Watfli in Rahat.
The room was full – approximately 15–20 mothers with their babies. Orit, the early childhood development instructor, and Hala, the community manager and Shlomit, CEO of Al-Baqour, were present and led the session.
These closing meetings are always bittersweet. On the one hand, there is celebration and pride. On the other, there is the awareness that a meaningful process is coming to an end.
The mothers shared deeply moving reflections about the impact of the program – first on themselves as women, and then as mothers.One mother said:
“First of all, the atmosphere here is very supportive. It really does good for a woman who is already small and vulnerable after giving birth, with all the difficulties we face. I had a very hard first month. He had a lot of gas, and she really helped me with exercises for that. Now, thank God, for a whole month we haven’t had the situation we had before. I am very happy there is something like this in Rahat.”
Another mother shared openly about postpartum depression:
“At the beginning it was very hard for me. I didn’t know how to deal with him at all. I even entered a kind of depression after the birth. I started the workshop confused and overwhelmed. She supported me so much, really helped me get out of all that. I saw the development in my son, and it was truly amazing.”
A different participant described the sense of belonging the group created:
“We are not just participants and a facilitator. We are like a family here — sisters, mothers, friends. It’s a connection we can’t explain in words. A strong bond, where each one supports the other. When you hear another woman’s story, you say to yourself, ‘If she can go through this, then I can also overcome what I am facing.’ It’s a place where you can forget the house, forget the pressures, and just feel that someone loves you and wants you here.”
One mother summarized it simply:
“It really changes lives.”
Another mother shared that her son is the only child in his daycare who participated in the workshop, and he is now considered the most developmentally advanced child in the group. There are mothers who returned after their second birth because of the impact they experienced the first time. There are also professional women — including doctors — who said they discovered an entirely new world through this program.
What moved me most was Hala. She was glowing with pride and joy. The smile never left her face. She looked like a proud “mother goose,” surrounded by women who kept thanking her for the love, the support, and the uniquely safe feminine space that she and Orit created together.
And then — the next morning (Thursday) — she received the most devastating news a mother can receive.
Her son was murdered in a shooting while in his car.
The transition from a morning of nurturing life to a morning of sudden loss and death is beyond comprehension.
We send our deepest condolences to her and her family. May his soul be bound in the bond of life, and may they know no more sorrow. I believe it is important that we send an official message of support from the organization and consider sending flowers as an expression of solidarity and care.
That same morning, while I was on my way to meet for the first time with the Jiwar team in Umm al-Fahm, Shlomit, CEO of Al-Baqour, called to update me. Within 12 hours, four Arab citizens were murdered across Israel.
We opened the meeting in deep pain. It immediately connected us to the urgent importance of Jiwar’s programs and how essential their work is in this reality.
I met Ahmad Mohana and Rasha Kanaan — both young, determined, and strong leaders who are acting מתוך a genuine sense of mission to create change from within Palestinian society in Israel. I felt proud and grateful to meet them and to learn more about the important work they are doing. (Rasha has since sent a detailed update email outlining their activities.)
I want to close by saying that these two days — one filled with women’s empowerment and the nurturing of life, and the next filled with violence and loss — once again proved to me how meaningful and necessary our work truly is.
We are not “just” funding programs.
We are strengthening women.
We are building resilience.
We are creating community.
We are improving quality of life.
In a reality marked by violence and fracture, this work is not a luxury. It is essential.
With appreciation,
Veronica
