Ziv and Barak Morag, along with their young two children, lived happily in their small house in Kibbutz Nir Oz—until Oct. 7, 2023. The southern community saw around 100 of its members killed or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, leaving the remaining 300 residents—including the Morags—scattered and displaced in the aftermath of the attack.

On a whim, while moving between homes, they applied to a little-known grassroots initiative called Hug for Hope, which matches displaced Israeli evacuees with Canadian or American families for up to 10 days. It was only months later that they got a call: a family had agreed to host them. The Morags were skeptical, but when they hopped on a virtual call with their future hosts, they immediately felt a connection.

As the Morags and their host, Danielle Kaplan, explain on today's episode of The CJN Daily, that connection is the point of this experience. The goal is to help these Israeli families relax, laugh and enjoy themselves after living through horrific trauma. As you'll hear, while in Toronto, the Morags went sightseeing, bonded with their Canadian counterparts and created a lasting emotional bond that made them feel like they were truly staying with family.

Related links

• Learn more about Hug for Hope at hugforhope.ca
• Hear how Danielle Kaplan helped her husband recover from a near-fatal motorcycle crash, on The CJN Daily

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

Support our show

• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to The CJN Daily (Not sure how? Click here)