Why we opened this campaign
Miriam has never asked for help before. This is her first time.
In 2019, she moved to Israel on her own. Her family stayed in Moscow, but she chose Jerusalem. She worked in a kindergarten, helped new immigrants find jobs through the Ministry of Absorption, and taught at a youth center. She was searching for her place.
In 2022, she found it. She trained as a nail technician, opened her own small business, and rented a tiny studio near Mahane Yehuda Market. Clients kept coming back. Miriam was earning, proud of her work, and for the first time in years felt that she truly had a place in Israel.
In her free time, she studied—siddur, the weekly Torah portion, the laws of Shabbat, Jewish history. No grand gestures. At some point, it became clear: everything she had been looking for was here. In March of last year, Miriam completed her conversion. The rabbinical court approved her on the first attempt.
Six months before completing her conversion, she met her future husband. A baal teshuva, twelve years older, with the same dream: to build a kosher Jewish family. Everything aligned—religion, politics, values, sense of humor. Six months later, he proposed. Eight months after that, they were married, right after her immersion in the mikveh. May 21 was supposed to be their first anniversary.
Then his LinkedIn account was blocked over a pro-Israel comment. Twenty years of professional contacts and his resume disappeared overnight. Around the same time, he stopped therapy—they could no longer afford it.
Miriam stayed. She supported him. She sold her work equipment and gave away their belongings. They moved to Cyprus, where, as he said, things would be easier and they could both get back on their feet.
In Cyprus, Miriam found herself without friends, without work, without the use of her hands in the craft she loved. She fell into depression. Her husband worked from morning to night and was hardly ever home.
Two weeks ago, he told her he was filing for divorce. He bought her a ticket to Tel Aviv—and sent her back.
Today, Miriam is in Jerusalem. She is temporarily staying with an acquaintance—but that “temporary” situation is running out. She has 79 shekels to her name. No dishes, no blanket, no tools, no studio.
What she does have is a profession she loves and is good at. Clients who remember her and are ready to come back as soon as she reopens. A plan. And the understanding that she can rebuild—if she has a starting point.
We need to help her get through this period until her studio is up and running again. After that, she will be able to stand on her own.
What the fundraiser will cover:
— first month’s rent and deposit
— food for the coming weeks
— health insurance, phone, accountant, National Insurance
— weekly therapy sessions, which are essential right now
— basic equipment to restart her work: workspace, tools, materials
Miriam chose to become Jewish. She completed her conversion. She accepted Israel as her home. She stayed when everything fell apart and did not return to Moscow. Now it is her turn to ask. And ours to respond.
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