Ora’s Story – Emergency Campaign Victims of Terror

A miracle escape from a direct hit. Ora’s story of survival

Direct hit: A missile struck Ora’s home while she and her husband sheltered inside.

Miracle survival: They escaped with nothing. No belongings, no way to contact their children. But their lives were spared by a last second decision to leave the safe room door ajar.

Immediate UIA support: Emergency grants and trauma therapy are helping them find a way forward.

Rebuilding with hope: Ora is determined to rebuild her home and community.

On the morning of June 15, during Israel’s 12 day war with Iran as part of operation Rising Lion, an Iranian missile slammed directly into Ora’s home. She and her husband were sheltering inside when the blast hit. The door of their safe room wasn’t fully shut and in a life-altering twist of fate, that small detail likely saved them. It allowed them to escape the rubble after the missile struck.

Everything Ora and her husband had worked so hard to build was gone in an instant. The house they had built 37 years ago in an area which was just sand, the garden her husband had lovingly grown and tended up until right before the blast, the mementoes of raising their children and grandchildren. All of it obliterated in seconds.

Shortly after the blast Ora found her husband unconscious on the floor. She had no phone, no clothes, and no way to contact her children. A soldier from the Home Front Command found them and carried them out on a stretcher and into an ambulance. She recalls the chaos, the dust and then the silence. Most keenly Ora felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief – how had this happened and how were they still alive?

Emergency support from UIA

Thanks to the generosity of donors around the world, Keren Hayesod-UIA was able to step in immediately. Ora and her husband, as well as 1,700 other households, received an emergency grant through the Victims of Terror Fund. This support helped cover urgent needs in the days following the attack, including food, clothing, and essentials while they stayed in temporary accommodation.

This initial assistance is only the beginning. Ora will also receive trauma counselling and resilience therapy to help process the shock and grief of what she endured. The psychological wounds of surviving such an event run deep, and these services are critical in helping her and her husband move forward.

As Ora puts it, “I have nothing, so I need everything. But what keeps me going is the people, the support, the kindness. It feels like a hug.” The grant gave them breathing room. The therapy will give them a path forward.

A future rebuilt on hope

Even in the face of losing everything, Ora’s tikvah, her hope, is unshaken. She draws strength from her upbringing in a deeply traditional and warm household where her father taught Torah and her mother welcomed everyone with food and love. She speaks with affection about her extended family, including religious relatives in Iran. Some made Aliyah to Israel, others stayed and maintain difficult lives where their Judaism can only be practiced in secret, “if they can face their future then I know we can too. We’ll build again and let’s hope that it will be good.”

She speaks about the home her and her husband built from nothing over thirty seven years and the garden her husband lovingly tended. Just the day before the missile struck, he called her outside to admire his handiwork. “You know, for us it’s our whole world,” she says. The loss, of course, is still sinking in, but for now her focus is on what comes next.

And rebuilding isn’t just about repairing walls and windows. It’s about restoring a life filled with meaning, family, and memory. Most of all, it’s about doing it together. She carries a message for all Jews, in Israel and around the world, “we must stand together. No divisions, no excuses. Just one people.”

We’re helping families like Ora’s rebuild their lives and you can too

The devastation is immense and the rebuild will be complicated but the Victims of Terror Emergency Fund exists to support people like Ora in their darkest moments. Your donation helps provide emergency grants, trauma care, and the foundation for a new beginning.

Learn more about the UIA supported Fund for Victims of Terror and donate to support the recovery of Israelis like Ora: