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The Breslauer and Diner Families Dedicate Rooms in OneFamily’s Jerusalem Center
Keith and Lauren Breslauer and Marion and Anthony Diner of the UK have worked day and night on behalf of OneFamily, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims of terror. On April 4, they brought their entire families to Israel for the dedication ceremony of rooms they each donated to our OneFamily Center in Jerusalem. Thanks to their generosity, victims of terror will receive the kind of care and support they need in order to continue coping with their difficult realities in the wake of terrorism.
The Breslauers dedicated a psychological therapy room in memory of Keith’s grandfather Samuel C. Breslauer, z”l. OneFamily’s Chief Psychologist Yonatan Amit holds treatment sessions with victims of terror there. In Yonatan, people can find a tremendously caring and empathetic person whose most rewarding activity is seeing the improvement in others.
“The kind of help I give to terror victims allows me a deeper glimpse into the finite boundaries of life, and a greater appreciation of what people do to fill the time they have in this world,” Yonatan says. “When someone has experienced bereavement or come close to death, the experience provides a deep appreciation of the fragility of life.”
The Diners dedicated a massage therapy room to our Jerusalem Center in memory of Marion’s father Benno Schmidt-Bodner, z”l. OneFamily’s massage therapist Yelena Kosminsky works with victims in this room to give them physical and spiritual comfort.
Yelena herself was wounded in a terror attack a few years ago, and could not continue to work in her trained profession. She retrained herself as a massage therapist, and now provides massage therapy for victims of terrorism. “Through my work, says Yelena, I have been given the keys to people’s souls. While my fingers dig into their muscles and release their tension, my presence allows them to bare things that are deeper inside and give expression to their fears and their pain. And I help them leave with a more relaxed body and a lighter soul.”
Yelena’s clients often find it easier to talk to her than they do to anyone else. The combination of her warm and soothing hands, her quiet voice, and the fact that she has been there herself, often provides victims of terrorism with an irresistible opportunity to unburden themselves to her. And when a situation arises that she can’t handle on her own, Yonatan’s office is right next door. With Yelena’s presence and guidance, Yonatan provides the kind of therapeutic assistance the victims need.
With Yonatan and Yelena complementing each other so flawlessly, it is only fitting that their rooms were dedicated by the Diner and Breslauer families, two of the prominent families involved in all aspects of support for OneFamily in England.
To show their appreciation to the Diners and Breslauers, nearly 100 victims of terror came to the dedication ceremony in Jerusalem. It is a great comfort to them to know that families half way around the world are working so hard to help them rebuild their shattered lives.
Speaking for the victims, Michael Gadri stood up to address the crowd. Michael was wounded in a suicide bombing in Afula four years ago.
“I want you all to know,” he slowly began, “that we feel two kinds of attachment here. At the beginning of this ceremony, we were included with the visitors, and referred to as guests, and we are honored to be here. But I have never heard of someone entering his home and being called a guest. And at OneFamily, we really feel that we are at home. Here we get the caring, the help, and the understanding that we normally expect from family members.
“But this is more than just a home for us, or even a second home. This is more like a nest for us. It is a nest where we are gently covered by wings by the wings of angels.”
On behalf of all the victims of terror, Michael then thanked the Breslauer and Diner families for being among the angels that help to cover the victims of terror and provide a nest where they can feel secure.