Photos of Speaker Blurred For Safety

By COLlive reporter

Over 500 women turned out for an evening of inspiration in Crown Heights featuring a woman who was recently rescued by the Yad L’Achim organization after being trapped in an Arab village for 24 years.

The evening opened with remarks by Rabbi Nesanel Gantz, Director of Yad L’Achim in the United States. Rabbi Gantz described the life-saving work of the organization which helps rescue women who are trapped in marriages and in Arab villages.

Sari, “the mother of rescued women and children”, spoke and shared fascinating stories from her daily work as a Yad L’Achim social worker, meeting many girls and women daily and being personally involved in rescuing over a thousand women and children.

Finally, Shira, a woman who was trapped in an Arab village for over 20 years, kept the audience spell-bound as she told her incredible life-story and how she obtained her freedom with the help of Yad L’Achim. Tears flowed freely as Shira detailed the struggles as well as the triumphs, especially during the period before her rescue.

For her safety, participants were asked not to take photos at the event. The photos of her on COLlive.com were blurred with Yad L’Achim’s cooperation.

“We were thrilled with the amazing turnout, even more than we anticipated – we had to add more chairs to accommodate the overflowing crowd,” said Yossi Eliav of Yad L’Achim, who coordinated the event. “People were so incredibly inspired, so many called and emailed afterward to remark on the inspiration they got listening to Shira’s story.”

Due to a multitude of phone calls from people in Boro Park asking for the same event in Boro Park, Yad L’Achim has put together the same event for this Sunday (May 26th) at a well known central hall – Bais Yaakov High School, 4420 15th Avenue at 7:15 pm.

At the end of the event, Rabbi Gantz encouraged people to get involved, not just by giving tzedaka, but that women at the time they’re lighting Shabbos candles should daven for the thousands of women and children who are still trapped in Arab villages.