Chosen to participate in the Bat Ami youth delegation to Poland for Holocaust Day, NIli Brauer, a second-year National Service volunteer at the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran rehabilitation village, chose to fill her suitcase with paper mache hearts crafted by village residents before departing from Israel. In Poland, Nili placed the hearts on a tombstone commemorating the murdered Jewish masses.
“I chose to do my National Service at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran, an exceptional village for the rehabilitation and education of people with severe disabilities and complex medical issues. Before the Nazis began murdering the Jews, they executed people with disabilities. They targeted people who could not defend themselves. Those who cannot say “mother” or “father” or call out for help.
“I am now in my second year of National Service at ADI. I work with the most fragile members of society – the best people I know. Every day at the village is better than the day before. I placed paper mache hearts on the tombstone commemorating the millions of Jews who were murdered by the Nazis. Village residents made these hearts, together with volunteers, in memory of Holocaust Day. Placing these hearts on the tombstone was a very symbolic gesture, proving that we will always remember and never forget the Jews and people with disabilities who were murdered. We came to Poland from Israel, and we must be grateful for the miracle that is the State of Israel.”
