A Winnipeg family is related to an Israeli American journalist Shawna Fuld whose home in Tel Aviv was destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile. Fuld moved to Israel from New York in 2018 to found Israel Daily News, an independent outlet covering news across the country.
"She is my wife's relative," the Winnipegger, who prefers to be anonymous shared with the Winnipeg Jewish Review.
In a video shared to Instagram, Fuld shows debris covering her floor, and parts of her ceiling are missing, and her windows are missing glass. Fuld would have been killed instantly had she not run upstairs to her neighbor’s safe room.
"This conflict is deeply affecting me and my family in countless ways," the Winnipegger indicated.
"My oldest son was in Israel when the war with Iran began, working as a Birthright counsellor. He was supposed to be guiding young adults through a program with all activities pre-organized by Birthright. Instead, as a Birthright counsellor " he provided emotional support and planned daily activities on the fly to keep the group occupied and calm as best as possible."
Instead he made it to Limassol Cyprus on a ship arranged by Birthright for 1,500 Birthright participants which left from the Israeli port of Ashdod. "Iran attacked Israel while they were on the ship, but they did not have bomb shelters. It was scary for him," the Winnipegger said. The vessel was under the close protection of the Israel Navy, which escorted them in Israeli waters.
"Our son had to wait in Cypress for Birthright to arrange a flight back to New York and from there he had to arrange his own flight back to Canada," the Winnipegger added.
“My son's trip was in the north (based on Tiberias), then they moved to Jerusalem, then they moved to the Dead Sea.
"My sister, her family, many nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and their loved ones are all living in a state of disruption and fear. Their lives have been completely upended — they can’t work, they can’t study, they can’t sleep. Their days have revolved around running between their homes and bomb shelters."
My son visited Fuld when he was in Israel, the Winnipegger added.
The niece of Winnipegger Rachel Gerstein, whose closest friend and the friend's were killed in the Oct 7 attacks, wrote in the following to the Winnipeg Jewish Review,
"Every Jew carries a scar, but every Israeli carries the scar of October 7'th.
“We lost family and friends in the most horrible way, and we have been fighting ever since.
“It's been a long time since we felt carefree, busy with our daily worries, a task to be accomplished at work or to get the kids out of daycare.
“For almost two years now we've been dealing mostly with the threat to our lives, which is terrible enough when you're single, but even more terrible when you have small children depending on you. You need to provide them with all the reassurance you can offer, and in the current situation you also need to lie, confidently telling them that everything will be okay even if you're not sure about it yourself.
“And precisely there, from a place of darkness and uncertainty, that Jewish pride awakens.
“A pride that has existed for thousands of years since David's kingdom and the lions of Judah that whispers to you to keep your head high because the eternity of Israel will not die.
