WIZO South Africa

21/05/2026

Chag Sameach!

As we celebrate Shavuot, may this festival of giving and renewal inspire us to continue building communities rooted in compassion, wisdom, and unity.

WIZO South Africa and President Shelley Trope Friedman wish you and your loved ones a meaningful and joyous Shavuot. ✡️🌾

20/05/2026

From tomorrow evening, Jewish communities in Israel and around the world will read the Book of Ruth as part of the Shavuot tradition.
But this year, we want to remind you that the story of Ruth and Boaz isn't the greatest love story in the book.

At its heart is the story of two women who chose each other in a moment of loss.
Ruth stayed. Naomi was not left alone. And together, they found the strength to begin again.

This is one of the quietest and most powerful messages of Shavuot: that love, loyalty, and kindness can help us rebuild.

Chag Shavuot Sameach from World WIZO 🌾

20/05/2026

15/05/2026

15/05/2026

Today, as we celebrate Jerusalem Day, we also remember the Ethiopian Jews who perished on their journey to Israel - families who crossed deserts, endured unimaginable hardship, and carried with them an unbreakable hope of reaching Jerusalem.

Their story is part of our collective story.
Their memory is woven into the story of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

WIZO stands alongside Ethiopian-Israeli communities as an integral, vibrant, and inseparable part of Israeli society.

יהי זכרם ברוך

21/04/2026

Hannah Szenes was born in Hungary and raised in a Jewish family during a time of rising antisemitism. As a teenager, she chose to leave everything behind and immigrate to Israel, driven by Zionist ideals.

She studied at the WIZO Nahalal Youth Village, where she embraced a life of responsibility, action, and purpose, and a belief in the power of women to help shape society.

During World War II, Hannah volunteered for the British Army and parachuted into occupied Europe to help rescue Jews. In June 1944, shortly after landing in Yugoslavia and attempting to cross into Hungary, she was captured.

Hungarian prison records described her as:
“A 23-year-old prisoner in good health. She was severely tortured, but refused to betray her comrades or request clemency.”

She was executed at the age of 23. Until her final moment, she chose courage.

Hannah Szenes was a trailblazer. At a time when women’s roles were limited, she proved that women can lead with courage and determination. She represented a generation of women who did not just support, but acted and changed reality.

On Israel’s Memorial Day, we remember not only those who fell, but also the stories behind them. Hannah’s story reminds us of the price, but also of the spirit: courage, responsibility, and love of people and country.

13/04/2026

As Yom HaShoah begins, we pause to remember.

Six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
Mothers, fathers, children, entire worlds erased.

We remember their lives, their stories, and the voices that were silenced.

May their memory be a blessing.

12/04/2026

Tomorrow, Israel marks Yom HaShoah, our National Holocaust Remembrance Day.

We remember the six million Jews who were murdered, and we honor the survivors who carried their stories forward.

At WIZO’s Annual Meeting of Representatives, Yizhar Hess reminded us that antisemitism is still very real, but it is not the same as it was 80, 500, or 1,000 years ago.
Today, the Jewish people have something we did not have before: a home, a voice, and a country that stands to protect us.

We remember the past, we recognize the present, and we carry a responsibility to safeguard the future for Jews everywhere.