A Movement That Does Not Pause

My dear Chaverot, the women of WIZO,
MOR Week concluded successfully, and its echoes continue to accompany us even after our friends have returned to their home countries. Our routine work received a significant boost of encouragement from our colleagues from the federations, and we returned to our daily efforts as they, too, returned to theirs.

The conclusion of this intensive and diverse WIZO week finds us entering a new Israeli week—ordinary in its very lack of ordinariness. As we follow with great concern the developments of a new military round in our region, major news arrived in the form of the return of the last Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili. This is a consoling end to a painful chapter that will never be forgotten. How good it is that Israel can move on to its next challenges, and that we, too, can finally remove the giant sign adorning the façade of the WIZO building.

Even in days of waiting and tension, our Zionist activity does not rest. I am spending these tense days far from home, as a guest at the annual gala of WIZO Florida. As every year, awards of appreciation are being presented—this time to Australian journalist Erin Molan and Jewish college basketball coach Bruce Pearl, two of the most prominent pro-Israel voices during the war. The event will also host the freed hostages from Nir Oz, brothers Eitan and Yair Horn, the former of whom previously served as a counselor at WIZO Hadassim.

But the central message of the event is WIZO’s progress—progress that does not deal with medicines, apps, weapons, or new technologies. It is progress rooted entirely in a social vision: the advancement of people and care for the human quality of future generations in Israel. Whether it is legislation, an educational program, a new agenda or social initiative; whether it is helplines, sensory-motor rooms in daycare centers, an academic track for early childhood caregivers, or even “women sharing stories of bereavement”—this is innovation in every sense of the word. And even if it does not come in flashy packaging or a luxurious wrapper, it is a bulldozer that breaks new ground—one that, in years to come, people will not understand how we ever managed without it.

Indeed, in the face of the burning issues of the moment, the question arises: Is a new war on the horizon, and will it be followed by the defeat of the greatest of our enemies and the opening of a new chapter of coexistence between peoples? Hours or days will tell. But while tension and hope coexist within us, we can take pride in the fact that in these fateful days, we—the women of WIZO—are playing an important and central role in the national journey, doing so in our own way, through social innovation that continues to grow and evolve.

I will dedicate my closing words to the return of the last hostage from Gaza, with a quotation from the Book of Jeremiah—words written thousands of years ago, yet so deeply aligned with the spirit of our people at this very moment:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.

Thus says the Lord:
Refrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your labor, declares the Lord,
and they shall return from the land of the enemy.”

With great thanks and appreciation to you all,

Anita Friedman
World WIZO Chairperson