Netanya – It has been an especially difficult two years for yesomos in Israel, with school closures, lockdowns, tragedies and economic difficulties hitting close to home. But all that was put aside when the girls gathered for a special Shabbos Bnoseinu attended by 400 girls for all across Israel.

The excitement had begun building weeks prior as the children started preparing for their songs, performances and programs. On Friday morning, buses and vans left cities throughout the country to bring the girls to a resort where they were welcomed like the royal bnos melachim they are. Their Bnoseinu mentors awaited them and invited them to let go of their worries and enter a space of joy, healing and inspiration. Jam-packed programming filled their schedule throughout and as one girl commented, “I haven’t smiled so much in the entire 3 years since my mother was niftar!”

A number of girls, many of them who are not newly orphaned, joined for the first time after they and their mothers heard from others about the tremendous chizuk the participants gather from these special Shabbatons. They were not left disappointed, as for 36 hours they were uplifted and inspired to overcome life’s challenges, heading home with wide smiles and full hearts. The bond between the girls and the Bnoseinu team also grew stronger, helping set the groundwork for relationships that will help mold the future mothers of Klal Yisroel.