I was born in Brazil and made Aliyah on my own when I was 18. I met my partner here and we got married 43 years ago. Today, I am a mother to 2 children and a grandmother to 2 grandchildren and I work, privately, as a creative arts psychotherapist.
In the spring of 2014 I heard the wonderful news that I am going to be a grandmother. I found myself saying these words – “Hopefully by the time my grandchild is 18, he won’t have to go to war.” I recall making the same wish 38 years ago, when my oldest son was born. But I have done nothing since to bring it about. I sat in my comfortable chair and did nothing.
Operation Protective Edge was the last straw. I decided that I could no longer sit around doing nothing and accept the situation as our fate. I decided that I would do everything I possibly can to ensure a safer and saner life for my grandchildren.
During the war, the discord between the people have grown. I looked for a place where I could express my thoughts and desires. I discovered, on the internet, a notice about the Peace Train to Sderot. I wanted to see if this would suit my needs and I signed up immediately. From that moment on I have been part of Women Wage Peace.
Part of my work as a psychotherapist is to enable clients to look at life from different points of view. Working in creative art, changes perspective; if you turn the drawing or the sculpture upside down, you see things that you haven’t seen before. Thus, life can be looked at in different ways. Everyone experiences life differently depending on his or her particular background and time of life. I help clients to broaden their viewpoint, just as at Women Wage Peace we wish to broaden our perspectives through inclusion as opposed to separation.
Today I am an active member of the movement and participate in various activities. Three years ago I became the regional coordinator of the Sharon region; I was also overseeing the Kfar Saba/Ra’anana intersection. I have participated in the March of Hope and organized the Succah of Peace in Kfar Saba with Marie-Lyne. I stood in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence, the Knesset and the Ministry of Defense, and took part in Israeli Salad meetings.
I am responsible for the Ride in Peace Project in Kfar Saba/Ra’anana and I am the Logistics and Equipment Coordinator for the movement. I am a member of the Committee of One Hundred, WWP’s policy-setting body, and I have organized screenings of the movie about the Liberian women. I am soon to be, with my friend Juliet, the representative of the movement at the Women of the World’s March for Peace in Brazil.
I am a great believer in the power of women to bring about change.
Translated from Hebrew by Sarit Bloom
