‘I Began to Dream of Israel’
IFCJ Canada | September 6, 2024
Nedjma is a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor who lives in Israel after making aliyah (immigrating to Israel) with IFCJ Canada.
Nedjma was born in Tunisia, and she remembers a happy childhood, until the arrival of the Nazis during World War II disrupted the peace. “They sought to conscript every Jewish man over the age of 17 into labour camps.” Nedjma recalls the distressing sight of her father hiding from the Nazis. She, along with her sisters and mother, were responsible for bringing food home.
“It was a challenging time for me. One day, I overheard a neighbour speaking of escaping to Israel. At the age of 12, amidst the war, I began to dream of Israel,” she says.
After the war, hostility grew. Neighbours began throwing stones at Jews, and the atmosphere became increasingly hostile. “We felt that it was no longer safe for us to stay in Tunisia. We were living in fear.” In 1961, Nedjma’s husband decided to escape to France for a better future.
Recently, though, in the surge in anti-Semitism in France following October 7, 2023, the Jewish community started hiding their identity. Nedjma’s eldest daughter removed the mezuzah from her door, which Nedjma took as a sign to finally move to Israel.
Nedjma reached out to Fellowship volunteers for assistance in making aliyah with her family.
Today, as Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner, we visited Nedjma at her home with a box of groceries and honey, symbolizing the holiday’s significance. “Thanks to The Fellowship, my dream of living in Israel came true at the age of 94. I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who supports this remarkable organization.”