I made aliyah at the age of 18, driven by deep Zionist values and a profound sense of commitment to the Jewish people. My college years were a blur of tears and laughter, filled with exciting adventures as I navigated adulthood in a country where everything initially felt backwards — yet deeply meaningful and worthwhile. I was blessed to meet my husband at a young age, and together we began building our life in Israel — a dream I had davened for over many years.

We live what many would consider a classic Israeli life. We are blessed with four beautiful children, we both work, and we are involved in our community. We spend our free time going on tiyulim, walking the land promised to us thousands of years ago, and spending time with family and friends. We built our home in a new suburb in southern Israel with the idealism and optimism of pioneers. There is nothing particularly extraordinary about us.

My husband, Sruli, was called up on October 7th, just hours after we heard our first siren and huddled together in the bomb shelter. As fragments of information slowly began coming in, I packed him a small bag with a few pitas, some chips, apples, and water before sending him to the northern border. We had already lived through Tzuk Eitan together nearly ten years earlier, and........

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