October 7th Nova Festival Survivor

My name is Avishag Israel, I am a 30 year old preschool and special education teacher from Rishon Lezion. My whole life I wanted to open a preschool but beginning October 7th my entire life changed.

I attended the Nova festival on October 7th with my friends. As terrorists took over the area, a missile fell near me, causing a lot of damage to my body. I lost part of my hearing and sight. As I tried to escape the festival, I was chased by 7 pickup trucks with 28 terrorists who shot over 30 RPGs in my direction.

The whole day was a miracle; no missile hit me and I made it out alive. Many of my friends however were murdered and two are still held hostage in Gaza.

I am a survivor of trauma. With the help of weekly therapy and treatments I am healing from my own trauma and learning the skills to help others who have survived trauma. I want to use this, along with my knowledge and experience in childhood education with an emphasis on special education, to help children in preschool that are also struggling.

Being able to return to work with the children I taught before October 7th, with these newfound skills, will allow me to continue to heal as well as provide them with the tools to find their own path towards healing.

I hope to raise enough money to one day open a preschool and make these dreams a reality. Any support would be greatly appreciated and everything helps. You are welcome to follow me on Instagram and get more information about how October 7th changed my life. ♥️

@avishag_israel