{"id":15130,"date":"2025-02-14T12:53:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T10:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rega.news\/?p=15130"},"modified":"2025-02-14T12:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T10:53:32","slug":"new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"New Immigrants Share War Experiences, Find Comfort in Shared Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ministry of Immigration and Absorption held a special conference on Wednesday dedicated to providing the right support for immigrants during and after the Iron Swords War. Author Hadassah Ben Ari, known for her bestselling book A War of Heroes<\/em>, moderated a panel titled “Personal Perspective.” Some panelists featured in her book shared their firsthand experiences of war.<\/p>\n

Among the speakers were:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben and Natan Kilinski, who immigrated from S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil, five years ago to join the IDF.
\nAshtia-Avital Kassaia, an Ethiopian-Israeli whose brother was killed in Gaza.
\nPinchas Lahuobum, a 10th-grade student whose family was evacuated from Sderot to a hotel in Jerusalem.
\nDaria Lipi, a survivor of the Nova festival massacre who immigrated from Russia at age 14.<\/p>\n

\"\"
“Personal Perspective” Panel | Photo: Nitzan Bar, Ministry of Immigration and Absorption<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nFinding Strength in Meaning<\/strong>
\n“During the panel, I asked them how they coped as immigrants during the war and what personal strengths they discovered,” Ben Ari explained. She emphasized that many new immigrants struggle to express emotions, but consistency and accessibility in support services make a significant difference. “The central message they conveyed was that they don\u2019t always know how to express their emotions, but it\u2019s crucial not to give up on them. They can tell when someone genuinely wants to help, and they expect professionals to adapt their assistance to their needs\u2014whether by overcoming language barriers or offering more accessible communication,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Hadassah Ben Ari | Courtesy of the subject<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nFinding Purpose in the Struggle<\/strong>
\nA recurring theme in the discussion was the power of meaning in overcoming adversity. “Everyone said that having a sense of purpose gave them strength,” said Ben Ari. Natan and Ben Kilinski found meaning in knowing why they were fighting. They immigrated to serve in the IDF, understanding they were fighting for Israel\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n

Natan shared a story about encountering terrorists firing at an IDF unit. He fired back, saving the soldiers’ lives. “Later, he met someone from that unit who told him, \u2018You saved my life.\u2019 That moment gave him an incredible sense of meaning.”<\/p>\n

Pinchas Lahuobum, evacuated from Sderot, described how helping elderly members of the Bnei Menashe community gave him a deep sense of purpose. Many older evacuees struggled with hotel food and bureaucratic processes. “When he realized he could help them, he found a powerful sense of identity and responsibility.”<\/p>\n

Daria Lipi, a Nova festival survivor, works as a surfing instructor and has helped PTSD survivors\u2014including fellow Nova survivors\u2014through surf therapy. Even before official state support programs began, “she was already providing treatment through surfing, and helping others gave her strength.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
“Personal Perspective” Panel | Photo: Nitzan Bar, Ministry of Immigration and Absorption<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n“Helping Others Made Them Feel Fully Israeli”<\/strong>
\nFor many of these immigrants, contributing to Israel\u2019s war effort made them feel at home. Ashtia-Avital Kassaia and her family mobilized to support IDF soldiers, delivering socks, baked goods, and hygiene products to bases. “Helping soldiers gave her a profound sense of belonging. When everyone comes together in times of crisis, it erases any distinction between veteran Israelis and new immigrants.”<\/p>\n

One of the panel\u2019s key questions was: When did you feel truly Israeli? Ben Ari noted that integration into Israeli society happens in small moments outside therapy sessions\u2014when interacting with Israelis in everyday settings. “But the biggest factor is contributing to others. The greatest gift a person can receive is the opportunity to give.”<\/p>\n

Immigrants in War: The Numbers<\/strong>
\nSince the Iron Swords War began, approximately 34,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel. 40 immigrant soldiers have fallen in battle in Gaza and Lebanon, over 400 immigrants have been wounded in combat and two immigrant soldiers have been taken hostage. 18 immigrant civilians were killed, and five were kidnapped.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At a unique welfare conference, new immigrants shared how they coped with the challenges of war and the kind of support they seek | Hadassah Ben Ari, panel moderator: “Finding meaning helped them become Israeli”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":15131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,77,2276,85],"tags":[2903,2164,2239,2904,2497],"class_list":["post-15130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-idf","category-people","category-positive-moment","tag-hadasssa-ben-ari","tag-immigrants","tag-iron-swords","tag-ministry-of-immigration-and-absorption","tag-nova-festival"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Immigrants Share War Experiences, Find Comfort in Shared Purpose - REGA news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Immigrants Share War Experiences, Find Comfort in Shared Purpose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At a unique welfare conference, new immigrants shared how they coped with the challenges of war and the kind of support they seek | Hadassah Ben Ari, panel moderator: "Finding meaning helped them become Israeli"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"REGA news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-14T10:53:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Iron-Swords-a.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"By Rega News Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"By Rega News Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"By Rega News Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/3f9b86ab4cc807acf1c0839b1f1ac2ce\"},\"headline\":\"New Immigrants Share War Experiences, Find Comfort in Shared Purpose\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-14T10:53:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/\"},\"wordCount\":656,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Iron-Swords-a.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Hadasssa Ben Ari\",\"Immigrants\",\"Iron Swords\",\"Ministry of Immigration and Absorption\",\"Nova festival\"],\"articleSection\":[\"CULTURE\",\"IDF\",\"PEOPLE\",\"POSITIVE\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/new-immigrants-share-war-experiences-find-comfort-in-shared-purpose\/\",\"name\":\"New Immigrants Share War Experiences, Find Comfort in Shared Purpose - 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