There are moments in history when the tears of women shake heaven.
October 7, 2023 was one of those days.
When Hamas descended upon Israel, ninety-two women and girls were dragged into darkness. Daughters of Zion—mothers, grandmothers, sisters, friends—were beaten, raped, tortured, and paraded before the world. The images were unspeakable. The silence was unbearable.
And then, for two long years, the world moved on.
Women’s organizations said nothing.
Celebrities said nothing.
Nations that proclaim “never again” fell quiet.
But not everyone was silent.
The Woman Who Would Not Look Away
In Berlin, the city where hatred once conquered conscience, one woman stood in the cold with flowers in her hands and truth on a sign. Karoline Preisler, a German lawyer and granddaughter of Nazis, refused to look away.
Week after week, she walked alone into crowds filled with rage, holding three simple messages:
“Rape is not resistance.”
“Believe Israeli women.”
“Until the last hostage.”
She was spat on, followed, threatened, yet she would not retreat. “If I move, violence will take the space I leave behind,” she said.
She told an interviewer, “If someone kidnapped my children, I would hope another mother would go to the streets for mine. So I will stand for the children of other mothers.”
Her protest became a prayer, a moral cry that cut through politics and ideology. Rape is evil. Silence is sin. Truth still matters.
Now she no longer walks. The women she carried in her heart have all come home. Some alive. Many not.
The Last Daughter Came Home
This week, Israel confirmed the return of Inbar Hayman, 27, murdered and held in Gaza for more than two years.
Inbar was a daughter of Haifa, a commander in the IDF’s Caracal Battalion, and the last woman in Hamas captivity. She was killed at the Nova Festival and dragged into Gaza. Her family said, “Our beloved Inbar has come home. Joy mingled with profound sadness.”
She was the salt of the earth, strong, faithful, devoted, and her name will be spoken with honor in Israel for generations.
Isaiah’s Word for Israel’s Daughters Today
Isaiah 62 is a prophecy of restoration. At the time it was written, Jerusalem—often called Daughter Zion—had suffered devastation and exile. Her people felt abandoned by God and forgotten by the nations.
Through Isaiah, the Lord promised:
“You will be called by a new name … no longer deserted or desolate, but you will be called Hephzibah (‘My delight is in her’) and your land Beulah (‘Married’).”
It was God’s way of saying that shame and loss would not be the last chapter for His people. He would give them a new identity grounded in His love and covenant faithfulness.
That promise still speaks. It mirrors the story of Israel’s women after the atrocities of October 7. For two years they were literally deserted and desolate, left in captivity and forgotten by many who should have defended them. But now, as Inbar Hayman is brought home and the names of all 92 are spoken aloud, Israel is again being called by a new name—one of dignity, remembrance, and restoration.
“Hephzibah” in Hebrew literally means “My delight is in her.” It reveals God’s heart toward His people, and toward every daughter of Zion. To say “You will be called Hephzibah” is to proclaim that God takes pleasure again in what the world defiled or shamed.
Israel will not be defined by what was done to her women. Their names will not remain synonymous with horror but with holiness. What evil meant to destroy, God will redeem with honor.
And just as Israel is renamed Hephzibah, so too is Karoline Preisler a living sign of redemption. She stands in a nation once called desolate for its sins, yet through repentance and moral courage she shows what happens when God writes a new name over a life, a city, a people. The same grace that renames Zion can rename every heart that chooses truth over silence.
The promise of Isaiah 62 tells us that identity after trauma is rewritten by God’s love. It is both prophecy and promise. When God says, “I will call you by a new name,” He is saying even now, “You are not forgotten. You are My delight. You are home.”
A Call to the Modern-Day Esthers
Dear friend, will you remember with us
Will you speak when the world turns away
Will you pray when the headlines move on
This is what it means to be a modern-day Esther—to stand in the gap, to use your voice, to bless what God loves most, His people.
“For the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
“Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.” — Zechariah 2:8
God’s daughters will not be forgotten. Their names are written in heaven and on our hearts.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, we lift before You the daughters of Israel, every woman and girl whose life bears witness to Your faithfulness and love. We remember Inbar Hayman and all 92 who were taken. May each name rise before You as incense, holy and remembered forever. Comfort their families, heal their land, and let their courage awaken righteousness in us.
We pray for:
Yaffa Adar – 85
Meirav Tal – 53
Nili Margalit – 40
Raz Ben Ami – 57
Danielle Aloni – 44
Emelia Aloni – 5
Yuli Cunio – 3
Emma Cunio – 3
Sharon Cunio – 34
Adi Shoham – 38
Yahel Shoham – 3
Sharon Avigdori – 52
Noam Avigdori – 12
Shoshan Haran – 67
Nurit Cooper – 79
Chen Goldstein-Almog – 48
Agam Goldstein-Almog – 17
Emily Hand – 9
Mia Schem – 21
Moran Stella Yanai – 40
Elma Avraham – 84
Gali Tarshansky – 13
Amit Soussana – 40
Nathavaree Mulkan
Noralin Babadilla Agojo – 60
Shani Goren – 29
Ditza Heiman – 84
Avigail Idan – 4
Margalit Moses – 78
Ofelia Roitman – 77
Adina Moshe – 72
Ada Sagi – 75
Aisha Ziyadne – 17
Hanna Katzir – 77 z”l
Clara Marman – 63
Mia Leimberg – 17
Gabriela Leimberg – 59
Mika Engel – 18
Yuval Engel – 11
Karina Engel-Bart – 53
Yocehved Lifshitz – 85
Keren Munder – 54
Ruti Monder – 78
Sahar Calderon – 16
Channah Peri – 79
Tamar Metzger – 78
Shiri Weiss – 53
Noga Weiss – 18
Ilana Gritzewsky – 30
Hagar Brodutch – 40
Ofri Brodutch – 10
Sapir Cohen – 29
Yelena Troufanov – 50
Irena Tati – 73
Alma Or – 13.5
Yarden Roman-Gat – 36
Maya Regev – 21
Dafna Elyakim – 15
Ela Elyakim – 8
Liat Atzili – 49
Aviva Siegel – 62
Rimon Kirsht Buchshtav – 36
Natalie Raanan – 18
Judith Raanan – 59
Raaya Rotem – 54
Hila Rotem – 13
Raz Asher – 4.5
Aviv Asher – 2.5
Doron Katz-Asher – 34
Liri Albag – 19
Naama Levy – 20
Agam Berger – 20
Romi Gonen – 24
Daniella Gilboa – 20
Karina Ariev – 20
Doron Steinbrecher – 30
Emily Damari – 28
Shiri Bibas – 33 z”l
Arbel Yehud – 29
Inbar Hayman – 27 z”l
Noa Argamani – 26
Ori Megidish – 19
Judi Weinstein Haggai – 70 z”l
Ofra Keidar – 71 z”l
Eden Zecharya – 28 z”l
Amit Buskila – 28 z”l
Shani Louk – 23 z”l
Noa Marciano – 19 z”l
Yehudit Waiss – 64
Eden Yerushalmi – 24 z”l
Carmel Gat – 40 z”l
Maya Goren – 54 z”l
The Hebrew abbreviation “z”l” stands for “zikhronah livrakha,” meaning “of blessed memory.” It is a traditional way to honor those who have passed, affirming that their memory continues to be a blessing.
May their memory be a blessing, their legacy a light, and their stories never cease to be told.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
