International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism 21 August 2024
The 7th commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is on Wednesday, 21 August. Is it a coincidence that it is the 7th commemoration of this day whilst October 7th is so fresh in our minds? I think not, as some say, there is no such thing as coincidence!
The day was established to honour and support the victims and survivors of terrorism and to promote and protect their human rights and fundamental freedoms. It recognises and pays tribute to the memory of those whose lives have been snatched away by acts of barbarism and brutality. This is something that Israeli’s endure in their daily lives as they repeatedly suffer from acts of terrorism by enemies on all fronts.
In February 2024, The Global Terrorism Index Ranking by The Institute for Economics and Peace ranked Israel second on the list as they suffered the worst terror attack of 2023 being the brutal and coordinated Hamas attack of October 7th. This was the largest single terrorist attack in the world in 2023 killing approximately 1200 people in Israel.
The theme this year for The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism centralises around “Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators”, and this is just what the survivors and families of the heinous attack of October 7th have done. We are very grateful for their persistence in advocating and educating people and for calling for the return of the hostages. They have used their voices to raise awareness and create meaningful and positive transformation as they honour the lives that were lost or altered and resolve to use their experiences to bring about change.
These victims of terrorism, including particularly women and children, were directly impacted by having their freedom, peace and security swept from right under them. WIZO did not miss a heartbeat and sprang into immediate action just as the lives of the survivors and their families became irrevocably changed forever. The personal trauma, compounded with the collective trauma of the war has created stressful and difficult situations that have set these families back in terms of their adaptation to their lives. WIZO facilitated the lives and the ability to cope of these victims by providing accommodation in our youth villages and our homes. The trauma and resilience training that followed was to enable them to begin to recover, rehabilitate and re-integrate into Israeli society.
Beit Halochem, meaning “House of Warriors” was established to care for the wounded Israeli veterans in a rehabilitative environment where they are empowered to regain the quality of life they deserve after being victims of war or terror. These individuals take years to recover physically from their injuries and come to terms with their losses but WIZO stands right there beside them, supporting their healing processes. Try as our enemies might to eliminate us and intimidate us, we are stronger and more resilient that ever!
On this International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, we at WIZO honour the legacy of all those who lost their lives or were harmed through terrorist activity. We stand by, and support, the victims and the survivors. We amplify their voices and work together to ensure that the lives cruelly taken and changed by terrorism are never forgotten and definitely not in vain. In this way, we assist WIZO to build a better future for those who need it most.
As we hope and pray for the return of the hostages we say: Am Yisrael Chai!
Warm regards
Shelley Trope-Friedman
President WIZO South Africa