Rabbin Shares Trauma of Family Murder, Calls for Support for Orphaned Children
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
Rabbi Ilana Pazoulo, who survived her mother's murder by her father, is advocating for children orphaned by family violence. A new report indicates 33 children have been orphaned this year due to such murders. Pazoulo calls for better state support for these children, highlighting the long-term trauma and intergenerational impact. She aims to offer hope and support to others who have experienced similar tragedies.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Ilana Pazoulo advocates for children orphaned by family murder, sharing her own trauma.
- A new report shows 33 children orphaned by family murders this year.
- Pazoulo's father murdered her mother when she was two; he died by suicide when she was twelve.
- Her brother witnessed the murder and struggled with trauma throughout his life.
- Pazoulo calls for comprehensive state support for children affected by family violence.
- She emphasizes the need for maternal family support for orphaned children's healing.
Rabbi Ilana Pazoulo, who as a child survived the murder of her mother by her father, is speaking out following a new report on children orphaned by family violence. Pazoulo recounted how she initially told her children her parents died in an accident, struggling with the reality that her "father murdered my mother." Her mother, Esther Ruthi Mushiashvili, was murdered by Pazoulo's father in their Ashdod home when Pazoulo was two years old. Her older brother, then eight, witnessed the event. Pazoulo's father died by suicide when she was twelve, and she was raised by her grandparents. She only recently began sharing her story, motivated by her brother's inability to recover from the trauma of witnessing the murder.
Pazoulo's advocacy comes as a new report from the Michal Sela Forum reveals that 33 children have been orphaned by family murders in the current year, with four children witnessing their mother's murder by their father in the past five weeks. Pazoulo is calling on the state and society to provide comprehensive support for these children, emphasizing the need for assistance beyond the age of 18 and advocating for the victim's maternal grandmother to be the primary caregiver, offering the best chance for healing.
She expressed concern that welfare services may not fully understand the needs of these children, recalling attempts to separate her from her grandparents after her mother's death. Pazoulo, now a mother of five, works as a marriage and family counselor, emotional therapist, and mentor. She aims to empower children who have experienced similar trauma, stating, "From the abyss, one can reach heights," and stressing that the intergenerational impact of such trauma is often overlooked.
