Parisa and her daughters, immigrants from Iran

Parisa and her two young daughters fled a Middle Eastern country and made their way to Israel after a life-threatening and grueling journey. On their way, they lost all of their belongings and dealt with tremendous emotional and physical distress. Her Selah caregiver, Lea, has been accompanying the family since their arrival in Israel in 2014, providing for their most immediate practical and emotional needs. At the end 2015, Parisa was diagnosed with a severe illness, and has undergone surgery and treatments. She is very resourceful, proactive and creative, and does her best to cope and sustain her family, even during these very difficult times. Her parents recently made aliya also, and are now living with them all together in their small, cramped apartment, doing their best to be of help to their daughter and granddaughters. Recently Selah funded a party for the younger girl’s bat mitzvah – an especially important milestone for her self-confidence, to make her feel genuinely ingrained into Israeli society. The party took place at the same venue where her peers hold their parties, with typical elements of a happy pre-teen party. Selah continues to support the family as it navigates its shaky circumstances. Selah is there as aid and advocate, tempering the difficult times, and seeing Parisa using her courageous amazing life experience on behalf of others.