Adele Raemer (born 1954/1955) is an American-Israeli blogger and educator who is a resident of Nirim, a kibbutz close to Israel's border with the Gaza Strip.

Early life

Raemer is descended from Russian Jews who fled as refugees to the United States.[1]

Raemer grew up in The Bronx in New York City.[2] In the early 1970s, she took a yearlong course with Young Judea, during which she visited Israel.[1][3] After returning to the US, she initially planned to attend NYU and study theatre, but she decided to return to Israel following the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War.[1]

Life in Israel

Raemer made aliyah in 1973, and was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces.[1][4][5] She has lived in kibbutz Nirim since 1975.[6]

In the early 1980s, Raemer gave birth to her daughter in the kibbutz.[7]

Raemer was an English teacher for 38 years, before retiring in the early 2020s.[5][8] In the 1990s, she worked with some Gazan teachers on a crosscultural program.[5] Raemer has also worked as a counselor for the Israeli Ministry of Education.[6]

Prior to 2005, when Israel withdrew from Gaza, Raemer visited regularly to shop at the markets and to visit the beach.[1][5][9]

Raemer evacuated from Nirim during Operation Cast Lead in 2008.[1] She remained in the kibbutz during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, and during the 2014 Gaza War, in which Raemer's home was damaged.[1][10] Following the war, she joined the Movement for the Future of the Western Negev, a group pushing for the Israeli government to negotiate a peace with the Gaza Strip.[11]

In 2019, Raemer participated in a cycling marathon organized by the Gaza Youth Committee.[6]

Raemer was in Nirim on October 7, 2023, when it was attacked by Hamas militants.[4] Raemer, her son, and her three grandchildren hid in their home's safe room.[4] Following the attacks, Raemer and her family were relocated to a hotel in Tel Aviv.[2]

Online presence

In 2011, Raemer created a Facebook group called Life on the Border With Gaza, in which she and other Israelis share their experiences.[1][5][12][13]

Raemer began blogging for CNN iReport in 2012, during Operation Pillar of Defense.[1] In 2013, Raemer was nominated for a CNN iReport Award.[14]

In 2018, Raemer spoke at the UNHRC's Independent Commission of Inquiry about events that had occurred that year on the Gazan border.[15] She was chosen due to her social media presence, and her posts on and records of the events(including documenting fires caused by incendiary devices).[1][15][16] Haaretz named her one of the "10 Jewish Faces Who Made Waves in 2018" for her testimony.[16]

In 2019, Raemer testified to the United Nations Security Council about the events of Operation Protective Edge in 2014.[17]

Personal life

Raemer's second husband died in 2008.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sugár, Sáron (2023-02-25). "Life on the Border with the Gaza Strip — An Interview with Adele Raemer". Hungarian Conservative. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  2. 1 2 Fordham, Heather; Carrion, Adolfo (October 21, 2023). "Former Bronx resident reflects on near-death experience in Gaza". News 12 - The Bronx. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  3. ↑ "Wanted: Responsible adultism at the UN against Hamas's 'kitetifada'". The Jerusalem Post. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  4. 1 2 3 Pelad, Anat (October 10, 2023). "Israelis Shelter Inside: 'I've Never Feared for My Life Like Now'". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Al-Sharif, Manar (February 8, 2022). "Letter from both sides of the Gaza border: things people may not know". Plus 61J Media. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Gordon, Dave (2023-02-24). "Adele Raemer". Jewish Independent. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. ↑ Raemer, Adele (2014-07-03). "What I don't want to happen at my daughter's wedding". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  8. ↑ Hoare, Liam (August 2013). "Southern Kibbutzim, Under Fire and Losing Faith". The Tower. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ↑ Lidman, Melanie (August 6, 2014). "They thought it was rockets they had to be scared of". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. ↑ Lynfield, Ben (2015-07-08). "The traumatised kibbutz living with a fragile ceasefire". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  11. ↑ "At Kibbutz Near Gaza, Wounds Are Still Healing 1 Year After War". The Forward. 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  12. ↑ Ben-Moche, Erin (2019-11-13). "An American-Israeli Shares Her Experiences From the Gaza Border". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. ↑ "Fear, loathing and hope mingle for Israelis spooked by Gaza protests, kites". euronews. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. ↑ Hawkins-Gaar, Katie (2013-04-03). "36 stories that prove citizen journalism matters". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. 1 2 Tzuri, Matan (2018-11-26). "UN representative to Israelis: 'Why do you keep living on Gaza border?'". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. 1 2 Sommer, Allison Kaplan (December 19, 2018). "10 Jewish Faces Who Made Waves in 2018". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  17. ↑ "Gaza border resident to testify at UNSC Middle East hearing". I24news. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
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