Page 40 - Bridges For Peace Continuing Ed Module 1

ADOPTION TESTIMONIALS
1. Dear Friends,
I am 24-years old and am currently in my second year of undergraduate studies at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, majoring in political science and Islamic and Middle
Eastern studies. I also worked for 2 years as an update-editor on the Jerusalem Post’s
website. Fitting in both work and school has been an intense pressure, but now with your
assistance, I can work fewer hours and focus more on studies without worrying about
extra expenses. I also volunteer once a week at a home for at-risk teenagers and am
active in a Zionist student organisation, so my hands are quite full.
Following my school graduation, I made aliyah from New Zealand almost 6 years ago,
and lived on two kibbutzim for 8 months before enlisting in the military. I began my army
career as a non-commissioned officer stationed in Rafah on the Israeli-Egyptian border.
Six months later I was sent to officer school, becoming eventually a public relations
officer in Tel Aviv, responsible for planning events for military attaches and UN officers
stationed in Israel, which informed them about the IDF and Israel’s security situation. This
was by far the most interesting and rewarding experience of my life to date, and I will
always look with pride on this time. Today I am enjoying university very much and hope
to use my knowledge to work perhaps in the public sector after graduation.
My older brother, Saul, has also made aliyah and is studying civil engineering, but the
remainder of our family is still in New Zealand. I hope one day they might return to Israel
to join us; I say ‘return’ because my parents came originally from Israel, having left about
a decade before we were born. In a sense, our arrival in Israel completes a sort of cycle.
I would like to thank you for your kindness. I also feel it appropriate at this point to
mention the wonderful aspect of this program which connects the Christian and Jewish
communities. We live in difficult times and it is the bonds that our religions share that give
strength to us in face of our adversaries.
Thank you for everything Talia

2. I received my BA in Accounting recently, and continue to work at the same office in
Jerusalem, but now am occupied with more sophisticated and interesting tasks than
before. My wife will soon complete her degree too; she already has found employment
with a computer firm as an accountant. We are so grateful for your help … we did need it
so much.

I have one more year left to study. My husband recently passed his final exam to practice
as a lawyer, and hopes to find employment soon. We have 2 young children and live with
my husband’s mother; she helps us care for our children. Thank you for all your help …
words cannot express our gratitude.

This is the end of the program; you have helped my so much, and some have even
visited me in Israel. I was very glad to make your acquaintance. Now I have my university
diploma – the result of 4 years of studies, which you have helped me to achieve.

December 2008, Karmiel Assistance Center

One of the agencies through which Bridges for Peace channels food each month is in
the Haifa area. Living there is a divorced single mother with 7 children who
receives monthly food assistance. She made alliya in 2001 from Argentina, and has
only been able to find minimum wage employment, cleaning houses, as she lacks
adequate Hebrew language skills.