The Brother I Never Knew: Soul Sisters  

In the wake of the tragic events of October 7, unlikely yet remarkable human connections have emerged out of shared purpose and resilience. Through their collaboration, they developed new perspectives and understanding of the other’s world, and achieved something greater than themselves, as they learned to see beyond differences, bridging divides that once seemed insurmountable. Here are their stories.

Shelly Shem-tov never had a chareidi friend, and Margalit Peretz rarely interacted with secular Jews. But when Shelly’s son Omer was kidnapped, Margalit’s family adopted him as their very own.

“Find me that woman from the video!” Tzili Schneider, founder of the Kesher Yehudi kiruv and unity organization, charged project director Margalit Peretz.

“That woman” she was referring to was the one decrying the divisiveness and politics surrounding the hostages, screaming for unity as the only way to bring her son Omer and the others home, in a powerful clip gone viral. And it didn’t take long for Margalit to do just that.

“I just put on my status that I was looking for her and I got the number right away,” Margalit remembers.

“Get me that crazy lady’s number,” jokes Shelly Shem-Tov — “That woman.”