Moving Saved Us

Salome Allouche, BCA student, addressed a group of supporters at an event celebrating our new building. Below is her meaningful talk.

Good evening,

My name is Salome Allouche and I am a soon-to-be 11th grade student at Bnos Chomesh, and tonight, I want to tell you my story.

I started in ninth grade, a real freshman not knowing what to expect and anticipating the worst. Little did I know that this would be the perfect home for me over the next 4 years.

In the beginning of 10th grade, I started to lose myself in life's hardships, it seemed like there was no way out. It was dark and lonely with seemingly no end in sight.

Thinking about school was the only thing I was looking forward to every day. However, I'm not gonna lie, that feeling started to fade away when I realized a 4 by 4 building was going to be our future for the next six months. Being in a gloomy, dingy building, with basically everyone down my throat, didn't really help what was going on out of school.

Instead, I spent my time outside, no matter the weather, which sometimes led to meaningful conversations with certain staff members that made my year bearable.

I did not even have the right to be angry at Bnos Chomesh because they, the students and staff, were suffering too. Seeing their, the staff’s, pride and joy, the students, the reason they wake up every morning and come to work, not wanting to be there, in school, was heartbreaking but it was understandable. If they couldn't breathe in the small building, they weren't expecting us too.

Further into the year my personal life was a mess, which affected my school spirit. I couldn't find the happy freshmen that loved school, that came 40 minutes early not to miss a second of the most stupendous, compassionate, affectionate, and devoted school ever.

I’m here to tell you that the staff, even being in a 4 by 4 room, ran around trying to keep the school alive and happy while feeling stressed, and they still had time to save me. I'm not lying when I say I wouldn't be standing here today without Bnos Chomesh staff sitting with me in the cold talking about how life is worth living,

bringing me soup when I was sick and even calling me late at night to make sure that I was okay.

Things began to look up in March when we got our forever home, and from then on it was back to the old BCA. I even started being 40 minutes early again. You could tell that the staff were happy to see us breathe again. It was almost like all was forgotten.

Moving saved us.

All of this would never have happened without the donors, students and parents who were determined and dedicated to being us to our forever home.

This school is simply a miracle sent from heaven, saving girls from the broken school system. Girls that want and deserves a future and a life of happiness.

Bnos Chomesh, thank you for accepting me, loving me and caring for me in our new beautiful home. I can't wait for what's ahead in the coming year