Iam a mother of five, a grandmother of five and a volunteer with ZAKA, the Israeli rescue and recovery organization whose mission is to provide final dignity to those who die in war, terror attacks and disasters. I was born in Kyiv, raised in Israel’s Gaza Envelope, and for years I have lived between two homelands — Ukraine and Israel. I have seen war in both places. I have seen suffering. But nothing prepared me for Oct. 7, 2023.

I saw the horrors of war two years ago

That morning, my husband and I — celebrating the holiday with our children and grandchildren in Israel — were woken by sirens. We were in Beit Shemesh, a city far from Gaza, where sirens are rare. But something felt deeply wrong. ZAKA’s radio was full of panic. Within hours, we were headed south, still dressed in our holid

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