While Rivkah had so many reasons just to give up that evening, she had one very precious reason to persevere. You see, Rivkah was also fighting for the life of her unborn son.
“When my husband kicked me in the stomach during my seventh month of pregnancy, I knew it was time to leave,” she recalls without an ounce of regret.
So she took action. It takes a great amount of courage for a woman without job skills or belongings to walk out the door of her home and into the unknown.
As a woman and a mother, the terrible suffering and abuse that Rivkah endured is an issue very near to my heart. That’s why I am so grateful IFCJ was there for Rivkah and able toprovide a safe haven in a time of need.
“They immediately accepted me with open arms and warm words, and provided me with safety, shelter, food, and everything else I needed,” she remembers.
However, when a woman like Rivkah finds the strength to flee domestic abuse and start her life over from scratch, she needs more than just a safe place to live. Many women like Rivkah come to us with no education. No occupation. No way to earn their own living so they can escape the economic, physical, and emotional dependence of their abusive relationships. What these women need most is an opportunity.
That is why IFCJ supports a network of women's strengthening and empowerment projects throughout Israel to give Jewish women the skills they need to go out on their own.
The training that Rivkah received made her a strong and confident mother, and within a year she was able to leave the shelter. She now rents a small apartment with her son and started a cosmetic business from home, which allows her to be financially independent – the first chapter in a success story that would have never been possible without generous friends like you.
Unfortunately, for every woman like Rivkah whom we can take into our shelter, there are five of six women and children we can't five refuge to because of lack of space and funds. That is why we are turning to you today for help.
Please reach out to open the doors of opportunity to courageous Jewish womenlike Rivkah by making a special gift to IFCJ on their behalf.
With blessings from Israel,
Yael Eckstein
Senior Vice President
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