Secret Jerusalem Facebook Group Helps Olim Marry During War – Israel

Just weeks before their wedding, Paula and Eitan, two elderly people from Brazil, learn that their families’ flights to Israel have been cancelled.

The family bought tickets long before the wedding, but suddenly, following the events in Israel-Hamas warairlines canceled.

Paula was the first to see that the tickets had been canceled and didn’t even get to tell her fiance Eitan, a reservist stationed in Lebanon who didn’t have access to a phone at the time.

Eitan’s time in the reserve had already been difficult for Paula, who felt she had to deal with things alone. “I faced many difficulties with the university,” she gave as an example.

“Although my family and his family are the best, they are on the other side of the world,” she said, adding that the canceled flights were “the cherry on top that made me freak out.”

Couple holding hands at sunset, wedding rings flowing out (illustration) (Image credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

Paula was unable to find new flights for her family, and any flights she did see were prohibitively expensive.

She eventually wrote a post Facebook the Secret Jerusalem group, hoping someone there might be able to help.

“I posted looking for help because I really needed help and connections (with people who could help),” she said, adding that she also wanted to feel like she wasn’t as alone as she seemed. .

“The post was more like a cry for help, like ‘please, I just need to share with the world because it’s too much.’

The members of the Facebook group did not disappoint. “It’s been crazy how many people have reached out to me to help and show support. People said “mazal tov”. I don’t have any connections, but I just want to say that I am very proud that you are getting married. .'”

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“Many, many people reached out to help and I really felt like I wasn’t alone,” Paula said. “That was the feeling I had — being alone and feeling (that) it was all too big for me. I was extremely stunned. And then suddenly I felt that I was not alone.”

The responses not only made her feel like she wasn’t alone, but people on Facebook sent her the phone numbers of the CEOs of EL AL, Arkia and Israir.

Companies are trying to help

All three companies tried to help Paula. In the end, Arcia needed her tickets and gave her a 10% discount, which she said was good considering the price of the tickets.

“They’ve been really helpful,” she said, explaining that just having someone in the company to talk to who wants to help makes a difference.

Paula shared her complicated feelings about her fiance’s reserve service. Eitan was called October 7 and since then served for seven months in the Gaza border region, Gaza and Lebanon.

Although Paula is very proud of his service, she also felt lonely throughout her fiancé’s ministry. “He keeps telling me that he’s doing this for the country and for me, for our future life,” she said, adding that at the same time, “part of me feels very, very alone.”

“It’s very controversial,” she said. “I’m very happy and very sad and very worried. I was worried the whole time, it’s crazy.” Paula described the relief she felt every morning when she read the names of the slain IDF soldiers, knowing that this time Eitan was safe.

When asked what she was looking forward to most about the wedding, Paula said that Eitan’s father, a rabbi in Brazil, would marry them.

“We sent everything (for the wedding) to be printed at Kibbutz Beeri, to a printer, and my makeup artist is from Zikim,” Paula said, explaining that they wanted to connect the wedding with the idea of hope.

A sense of hope

According to Paula, that was a huge part of what got her the reaction to her Facebook post. It gave her hope that “people were able to help her, (to) stop their days to text me, (to) follow up to see if I was OK and if we were able to get flights.”

“It’s the best feeling knowing I’m not alone,” she said.

“I feel like we’ve kind of forgotten that over the last year,” she added. “We all (face) our own battles, but if we trust the people around us, I think we can take a better path for the country.”