22-year-old Rivka Zuaretz has been in the news regularly for the past month, as readers have followed her shocking story: Zuaretz was part of a small group of religious Israeli girls who were tricked into travelling internationally with goods that are legal in Israel but illegal elsewhere. Much to the girls’ shock, they were arrested at the airport in Bulgaria and have since been imprisoned in difficult conditions. The Bulgarian legal system seeks to keep them for 15 years, an extremely harsh sentence.
Rivka’s family has fought as hard as they could to provide her with kosher food and legal help. Her mother and father are extremely limited in their financial abilities, as they hold regular, middle class jobs. Rivka has wept on phone calls with her parents, terrified by her inability to communicate with those around her. Violent criminals have surrounded the girls, threatening their safety. Many have donated to her pidyon shvuyim fund, and watched closely to see her fate.
This Thursday Rivka’s story will end. Whether the ending will be a happy or tragic one, however, has yet to be seen. The courts have given the Zuaretz until Thursday to reach their goal of $200,000. If the sum of money is raised, then Rivka will be able to walk free and return to her family. If the total is not raised, there is no telling what will become of her.
“We have come too far to give up now,” reads an urgent update made today to the family’s Chesed Fund page.
Those who are interested in partaking in the rare mitzvah of ‘pidyon shvuyim’ (releasing a Jewish captive) can join the family’s desperate mission to reach their goal by Thursday.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN
As a mother of a young man who was imprisoned overseas, going public is not always the best route. With the help of a Shliach, we stayed quiet, raised funds and bribed everyone we could. He was home in 5 months. Open miracles. I hope this beautiful young woman is released and reunited with her family soon!
She’s young and inexperienced and does not deserve a ruined life for a small mistake, even if it’s “illegal”. let’s save her!
That being said, parents, please talk to your children, so they don’t fall into such traps. Teach your children a simple rule, “if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.
Wishing the family much success. I donated
What is her perek tehillim?
We CAN do THIS! If this was YOUR child so GIVE! Hashem will pay you back double!Her life can not and will not come at a price tag!
is there a name for tihillim so we can daven for her?