Success Stories

My name is Danny Aharonov. I am 34, married to Meital and father of five sweet children – Tehila, Elyashiv, Hadas, Maayan and Noa. I work as a legal advisor at a venture capital fund.

I grew up in Bet Elazraki since I was 6 and everyone remembers me as a determined child who always knew what I wanted. I always wanted to be more – more successful, more outstanding in school, more helpful to others. I wanted for myself exactly what the Children’s Home wanted for me – to break the cycle of distress. And I did it.

After high school, I spent a year in the pre-military academy in Katzrin. I enlisted and served as a combat soldier in the Givati Patrol. Upon discharge, I went on to continue academic studies – I studied law at the Netanya College and was even on the Dean’s List for three years in a row.

My family is the essence of my joy – my wife, Meital, who works as an educator and bible teacher at the Zinman School in Dimona, and my beloved children.

The Children’s Home will forever be my home, the place that signifies my past and my future. As someone who has experienced the shattering of the cycle of distress, I dream to help more and more children do the same, just like me.

I’m Eleanor Icourt, 36. Thirty years have passed since I arrived at the children’s home, a 6-year-old girl who kept reciting one sentence in her head: “What you see at home, do the opposite.” I was willing to do anything to get out of the cycle of distress I was in, and my great luck was that I got to the amazing place – Bet Elazraki, which to this day is my family, my listening ear, my supportive shoulder and more. As a child I always dreamed of being rich one day, just so I could contribute to the children’s home and return all the good I received.

After graduating high school, I did national service at the Clalit Health Services Child Center. I then studied practical training in industry and management and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, pension consulting, and financial consulting.

I am currently a pension advisor at Mizrahi Bank, and my husband Tommy is a pension agent – both of us in the same field. Together we are raising our lovely pair of twins. The great achievement of my life are my two girls, and my mission is that they will never experience the scarcity and distress that was my lot, that they will always have a home where they will grow up happy and loved, and that I will always be able to give them all the good in the world.

My name is Harel Deutsch, and I came to Bet Elazraki with my four brothers 24 years ago when I was 9. At the Children´s Home, I matured, developed, and successfully completed a matriculation in biology in high school.

After graduating from high school, I studied at the pre-military preparatory school in Ma’ale Ephraim. In the army I served as an armored soldier and enjoyed my very significant and satisfying service. After, I studied for a bachelor’s degree at the Ono Academic Campus in the Land of Israel Studies and a received a teaching certificate at Ohalo College in Katzrin.

Towards the end of my military service, I married Sarah, who studied social work at Ariel University in Samaria. We have three beautiful and beloved children – Lavi, Yatir and Neta.

I am currently a teacher at the Branko Weiss School in Tiberias, and Sarah serves as a social worker in a village for girls at risk.

The children’s home was, and remains for me, my real home. In this home I acquired the foundations for starting a normative family that I did not have as a child, and fortunately I have today.

My name is Itzik Elstein. I’m 23 years old and I was removed from my home at the age of 8. I finally arrived in the most amazing home in 9^th grade – Bet Elazraki. The four years during which I lived at the Children’s Home were, for me, the best training for independent life. It was the mother of all prep schools; it prepared me for the many challenges that I face today and that most definitely await me in the future.

In those 4 years, I participated in a marathon twice and felt a strong sense of empowerment. After successfully graduating from high school, I went on to the “Echad Mishelanu” pre-military academy at Beit Yannai. I later enlisted to a Pilots’ Course and, after failing one of the stages, I was reposted to the Armory Corps. I am currently an officer in the Armory Corps, I am very comfortable in the military system and I hope to continue contributing my share and even more to the country and to achieve constant personal progress.

I’m Naomi Daniel and I arrived to Bet Elazraki at the age of 9, together with my two younger sisters. From that point on, we were blessed with an amazing home and a large and embracing family. My special home provided me the opportunity to develop my skills – I participated in a choir and became the soloist, took part in an amazing project sponsored by Excellence and studied through Intel. The Children’s Home also opened up a whole new world for me across the globe as I participated in a delegation to Rwanda and flew to New York for a Children’s Home dinner, where I represented my brothers and sisters.

A new chapter in my life started immediately after I successfully graduated from high school – National Service. During my first year, I served at the Democratic School in Hadera, where I taught music and, concurrently, I worked with youth at risk at the community center. Following an extensive evaluation process and a great deal of excitement, I was accepted to National Service Abroad and was off to the Independent School in Handon, London.

When I completed my National Service, which was also intriguing, I knew it was time for my next and important step: academic studies. I studied government, diplomacy and strategy at the IDC, had the privilege of meeting President Rivlin, took part in various delegations, worked at the Holocaust Museum in Washington and was a member of the advocacy mission to London and Manchester. I took part in the Stand With Us global advocacy program and was able to bring famous bloggers from Europe and South Africa to Israel, to experience our country first hand and share their impressions with their followers.

I currently work as a personal banker at Bank Mizrahi.

I met Jeremy while attending IDC – he was a student there too. We were engaged in March and G-d willing, we will be married next June.

I am Robert Hafizov, 32 years old, a professionally qualified Nurses, a family man by nature and very attached to Bet Elazraki Children´s Home where I grew up since the age of 11.

During my youth at Bet Elazraki, I was determined to succeed. The staff invested in me and I too never gave up on myself, I invested and studied non-stop. My dream was to pursue academic studies and advance in the professional aspect. This is exactly what I did after I finished my military service as a soldier and medic in Givati. I studied for a bachelor’s degree in education, went on to study nursing, and as mentioned, I currently work as a nurse in Clalit Health Services in Tel Aviv.

I am happily married to Pazit, also an educator, and a father to the sweet Raphael and Zohar.

Bet Elazraki is my home forever. They truly believed in me and did everything in their power to make me successful.

My name is Ortal Hillel. I am 32-years old and, for as long as I can remember myself (age 4), the Children’s Home was my home. I arrived here with my two brothers. I had a great childhood and was always considered an energetic and joyful social leader. The Children’s Home provided me with tools for life and taught me how to be independent.

As soon as I spread my wings as an adult, I knew that my calling was to give, just as I had received all those years at Bet Elazraki. I served as a Karakal combat soldier in the IDF and, upon my discharge, got my undergraduate degree in Criminology from Beit Berl.

I am now married to Nir, my wonderful husband who is among the best circus artists in Israel and we are parents to 1-year old Yehonatan. Where do I work? At home, my home – Bet Elazraki! I am the Day Care Center Coordinator and I wake up to work with a smile every day, to enter the gates of the place that was and will forever be my home, the place where I know everyone will be there for me for whatever I need – advice, support, a warm shoulder…

I built a wonderful family of my own and all I want now and in the future is to raise my children with the same values that I grew up with. My best wishes have come true and I cannot ask for any more for myself.

I’m Shlomo Vermeis, and when I was in sixth grade I arrived at the children’s home with my older brothers. Luckily, I quickly acclimated to my age group, was an outstanding student in school, and always loved playing sports. The desire to help and give to others has been a part of me ever since. In the children’s home, I was always happy to help anyone who approached me with problems or struggles.

After graduating from high school with honors, I went to a pre-military preparatory school in Or Akiva, where I continued to develop my academic and social abilities. After the preparatory course, I enlisted in combat service in “Nahal”, and it was a formative and very significant period in my life.

Last year I met the love of my life, Tiferet, and last November we got married. Tiferet has completed criminology studies and I am starting education studies. After a year of living in Ofra, we decided to move to Netanya, and guess what – my dear wife Tiferet started working at the children’s home as a coordinator! I could not have asked for a more exciting way for everything to come “full circle”