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| The Mother of all Surprises |
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28 December 2009 , 17:12
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| Private Noa Weizman, Soldier of Excellence. Photo: IDF Spokesperson IDF Spokesperson |
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| From left, Asher Azulay, Rivka Weizman, and Noa Weizman. Photo: IDF Spokesperson IDF Spokesperson |
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AWIS and the IDF rewarded one special lone soldier with a surprise visit from her mother
Dikla Schneider
During the past three months, Pvt. Noa Weizman waited with baited breath for the moment she would stand together with her friends from the IDF Welfare Workers' Course on the ceremony grounds of her base training base for the final ceremony of the course. But she never imagined how emotional this ceremony would be for her – thanks to the involvement of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (AWIS).
Pvt. Noa Weizman was born in Israel, but when she was 8 months old she moved with her family to Venezuela, where she was raised and educated. A year and a half ago she immigrated to Israel within the framework of a year-long program through the youth movement Hamakabi Hatzair”. “I always felt that I belonged in the State of Israel, and I knew I would return to it,” Weizman tells. Three months ago she enlisted in the IDF to the Welfare Workers' Course and on Thursday (Dec. 24) she finished with marks as a Soldier of Excellence.
When she was called to the front of the ceremony grounds with the other Soldiers of Excellence to be presented with the purple rope which uniquely identifies the IDF Welfare Workers, she was surprised to find that the rope presentation was stopped when it came to her turn. The head of the Ranking Branch, Lt. Col. David Shani, who oversaw the ceremony, turned Noa's attention to her mother, whom Noa had not seen since she had moved to Israel and who walked towards her on the ceremony grounds as he announced: “The training base in cooperation with the AWIS, has invited Rivka Weizman, who landed earlier today, to present her daughter with her rope and to participate in the Course Completion Ceremony.”
With tears in her eyes, and after she realized that she was not dreaming all of this, Noa ran to her mother in a daze of excitement. “For a moment I thought that my Hebrew had suddenly deteriorated and that I did not understand correctly, I never imagined that they would bring my mother to the ceremony,” said Noa afterwards, without letting go of her mother's hand.
"The AWIS works hard for the wellbeing of IDF soldiers and exists as the pipeline through which love from Israel and the diaspora is passed to the soldiers,” says Asher Azulay. Director of the Yoter club, which is a club run by AWIS that gives benefits to soldiers in compulsory service and which funded Noa's mother's flight to Israel. “In special circumstances, like today, AWIS brings soldiers' parents to Israel to share with them emotional moments in their military service.”
"We have a lot to catch up on”
"You, the IDF Wellfare Workers, act as the spearheads in taking care of soldiers – you are the first place soldiers turn to receive assistance, information and a listening ear,” Azulay said during the ceremony, describing the task which the Course graduates would begin the following week. “Without your help, work, and devotion with which you accomplish your task, we would not be able to work for the soldiers' sakes.”
In the coming months Noa's younger sister will follow in her footsteps and immigrate to Israel. When her mother was asked if there was a chance that the rest of the family would also join them, Noa was happy to hear that according to her, that possibility is always there. Together, they thanked the AWIS greatly, because, according to Rivka, “They moved mountains in order to fly me here to present Noa with her rope.”
Noa adds that the first thing she wanted to do with her mother was to show her her apartment in Herzliyah. “We have a lot to catch up on,” she says. “And,” Rivka adds, “I'm so happy that we can finally talk without phones and cameras.”
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