A Tale of Two Sisters

13 years ago, two young girls arrived at WIZO Nir Ha’Emek’s doorstep, accompanied by a court-appointed lawyer. The sisters, Noi and Meitar Peretz, were found at the age of 3 and 4 sleeping in a tent with their mother in Sacher Park in Jerusalem. The two different fathers were unknown, and the mother suffered from severe mental illness. After being shuffled from one foster family to another for three years, the girls arrived at the Deller Family Mishpachton at WIZO Nir Ha’Emek Youth Village.

For over a dozen years, the Deller Family Mishpachton, or foster home, has nurtured children requiring extra special care, offering them a stable home and nurturing care. Led by trained foster parents alongside their own children, this unit is located on the youth village campus. The children attend local schools and receive emotional support from Nir Ha’Emek’s professionals. Daily essentials like food, clothing, and activities are supplied by the village.

While living in the Mishpachton, the charming sisters stole the heart of Ilana, a woman working in the payroll department of the village. Ilana wanted to adopt the girls, but faced her own challenges – she was a single mother raising 4 teenage children on her own. But love knows no limits, and Ilana and her children took on a huge role in raising, hosting and supporting the girls for the past 13 years.

They became one big family.

Meitar now lives independently in Central Israel, while Noi still lives in Ilana’s house. She graduated with honors from WIZO Nir Ha’Emek high school and is now a solider in a prestigious canine combat unit in the IDF. In the photo, Ilana is in the center, surrounded by the entire extended family who came to celebrate Noi’s graduation from the IDF commando course.