Ohr Meir And Bracha Supports Victims Of Terror

For Liora Tedgi, it’s personal. Her story happened on Tu B’Shvat, when she promised her children that she would return with the fruits that are customary to eat on that chag. That day, Liora had volunteered with the chesed organization her brother had founded and directed.
And then everything changed.
“A terrorist drove down the street on which I was standing and just as he was turning right, I saw my father and brother turn right onto the street,”
Liora recalls, “They were right next to each other, and after a few seconds there was a deafening boom. I was completely paralyzed from shock. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t run, I couldn’t even cry. I could only feel the fear and pain. And I was pregnant at the time. As I saw the smoke rising from the scene, I immediately understood that it was a terror attack. People began to run in all directions and cries of panic were heard everywhere, and in frenzied panic mothers checked their carriages to make sure their babies were safe, yelling out their children’s names in the hope they were not hurt. I ran in search of my brother’s children, who had been playing near me not long before the attack. It was clear that the terrorist had blown up his car, hoping to injure all of the innocent people in the vicinity.”
Immediately following the attack, Liora’s husband had trouble moving and began experiencing chest pains. Proceeding to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, the couple was met by a nurse who grew alarmed upon observing Liora’s appearance. Even after Liora explained that it was her husband who was in pain following a terror attack that they had endured, the nurse persisted in her concern regarding Liora’s condition. Her concern was with good reason, the couple soon learned. Initially, the fetus’s heartbeat could not be detected, causing Liora to undergo an extended ultrasound.
“But on the night of Hoshana Rabbah, we witnessed another miracle of Hashem,” Liora relates. “Baruch Hashem, a healthy baby boy was born, named after David Hamelech, who was [the primary one of] the Ushpizin on that night of Sukkot.”
Saba David, Liora Tedgi’s grandfather, owned a trucking company that specialized in deliveries. A beloved individual, he was known to all as a man of action. In 1948, during the War of Independence, Jerusalem was besieged and in a desperate state. There was practically no food or water; people waited in line for over two hours just to receive a minimal amount of food.
Many found themselves in harm’s way and a victim of a bombing as they approached the head of the line. Those who did manage to survive quickly scrambled to their houses as the situation grew still more unbearable. Saba David, together with his brothers and other brave men, traveled by truck to Jerusalem, carrying vital supplies such as food, water, and oil. During one such trip, they were ambushed by Arabs who attacked them with grenades and guns. Most of the members of the convoy were killed, including Saba David’s 23-year-old brother, Uncle Matityahu, who had stepped on a mine which then exploded. Saba David carried Uncle Matityahu, on foot, to the Shaare Tzedek Hospital, where he later died in the operating room. Saba David suffered a heart attack and succumbed to another heart attack one year later, leaving his wife widowed and their six young children orphaned.
Liora’s Saba Meir was a just and virtuous person who lived a simple life. Often, he would visit his daughter who lived in Teveriah, in the vicinity of the kever of R’ Meir Baal HaNes. Following one visit to the tzaddik’s grave, Saba Meir had finished reciting the tefillos and arrived at the bus station. Engrossed in his thoughts, he did not notice that an explosive device had been planted there. Seconds later, there was an explosion. Saba Meir was rushed to the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where numerous surgeries were performed on him.
Twelve years after the attack, he still suffered both physically and psychologically. Transformed from a strong, vibrant, and independent person to a weak, dependent individual afflicted with many diseases, Saba Meir’s life was shrouded in darkness and despair following the attack. No longer could he work, nor could he function as he had. With each passing day, this once vital man cried bitterly, bemoaning his fate. Twelve years after an act of terror destroyed Saba Meir’s life he died, a young man, leaving behind a grieving wife and ten children.
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Terrorism does not discriminate. Terrorists seek out innocent people and attempt to garner media attention by causing the greatest possible tragedy. Even when the attacks subside, the pain never dies.
Since 2002, Liora Tedgi has dedicated her efforts to providing support and succor to other victims of terror. Liora set up Ohr Meir U’Bracha to respond to the unmet, unrecognized needs of victims of terror and their families. Terror attacks destroy not only the lives of those who perish but also of those who survive them. There are hundreds of victims of horror who “fall through the cracks” of the Israeli government’s aid initiative. They do not receive help because they are still in the process of being assessed for disability (which can take two or more years).
Terror attacks do more than destroy buildings and cause physical injury; they cause great psychological duress in individuals and interfere with the longtime livelihood of families. Many workers lose their jobs because of extended absences from work as a result of their own or a family member’s injuries, yet often they do not qualify for unemployment subsidies. Others are “unrecognized” or known as secondary victims—individuals traumatized by having witnessed an attack, or relatives of victims—people whose lives have been inexorably altered due to the death or disability of a beloved family member as a result of an act of terror.
The pressures on the family following a terror attack can wreak havoc, straining relationships to the breaking point, leading to divorce, depression, chronic unemployment, and dissolution of family functioning. The grief and pain of losing a loved one or enduring ongoing extensive medical treatment can make it difficult for many families to cope with the daily caretaking needs of their children. Other families fall into acute financial crisis and do not have enough money to pay bills, buy food, or find psychological counseling. The Terror Victims Support Center provides support for these victims by offering a plethora of services to help rebuild their shattered lives.
Ohr Meir U’Bracha does not use lengthy evaluation processes. It does not have eligibility criteria other than verifying that the individual is a primary or secondary victim of terror. This exemplary organization gives immediate assistance whenever possible.
Ohr Meir U’Bracha provides numerous services to victimized families. Its flagship service is its weekly food distribution project, which brings together volunteers from all over to package and deliver food to 400 families each week. The organization is open, however, to any provision that will improve the lives of those afflicted, and habitually provides the following services: Shivah costs and catering services; hospital visits; psychological and legal services; open-line, 24-hour emergency call-in service; weekly and holiday food distribution; new household electrical appliances; clothes and school supplies; and financial assistance.
Through its Adopt-a-Family program, generous families commit to providing for victimized families’ monthly needs. The Center arranges visits to families’ homes, to show support and bring joy, through its Homes Visit program. Big Brothers comprises dedicated volunteers who act as mentors to young victims. Through its Family Therapy Vacation program, the Center brings families from all over Israel together for a welcome respite in their most difficult times.
You can touch a victim’s life through a simple act of chesed. Please join Ohr Meir U’Bracha (www.terror-victims.org.il) in its noble endeavors by mailing your generous donation to 455 Viola Road, Spring Valley, NY 10977. Tizku l’mitvos!