The 'Mother' of Meron's Children: "The Officer Told Me 'Run, the Building Is About to Collapse'"

When Galia Sylvia Kristal became a widow of the IDF, she was the mother of two young daughters – a two-year-old and a one-year-old. "I was not observant in those days, but even then I knew that I would pray to Hashem to give my daughters the best life possible, so they would have happy lives, despite everything," she recounts.

Since then, she has led a life filled with challenges, but she has always been strong. She devoted her soul to her daughters and was blessed by Hashem to see much satisfaction from them.

"With the years, I grew stronger in my faith and came closer to Judaism through correspondence with the Lubavitcher Rebbe," notes Galia Sylvia. "I developed a close connection to the graves of tzaddikim, and especially connected with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. From the first time I visited him, I felt a deep connection, and I would regularly come to pray there, especially during Lag BaOmer, which is such a significant and effective time for prayers. These were the days before barriers were erected, and the mountain was open to everyone. I always reached the site and prayed for myself, my family, and all of Israel. I never imagined that another tragedy awaited me that I would have to face in a new arena," she says with pain.

(Photo: David Cohen / Flash 90)

At Rabbi Shimon's Site

Galia Sylvia's eldest daughter was a young, married woman and a mother of small children when she found out during her pregnancy that a severe illness was nesting in her body. "The moment we received the terrible news, I traveled to Rabbi Shimon and cried there like I have never cried before," recounts Galia Sylvia. "I pleaded and asked Hashem: 'Did Rabbi Shimon not say together with his son he could bring the whole world out of judgment? Please, I want my daughter to come out of judgment and receive a complete healing.' It was Erev Shabbat, and I stayed there to pray throughout Shabbat and vowed to return every Shabbat so I could witness my daughter's salvation. The following week, I returned to pray at Rabbi Shimon's site on Shabbat and so on, repeatedly believing that Rabbi Shimon had the power to change worlds and I wanted so much for my daughter to be healed."

On one Shabbat, Galia Sylvia sat near the site, fully immersed in prayer and pleas. She knew that on Shabbat one should not make requests for the sick, but praying was undoubtedly allowed. Suddenly, she heard behind her the voices of women. She wanted to turn around and draw their attention to the fact they were interrupting the prayer, but then one of them tapped her arm: "Get up, say Tehillim with the children."

"In truth," notes Galia Sylvia, "the last thing I was prepared to do at that moment was to sit with dozens of small children and read Tehillim with them. I wanted to continue my personal conversations and prayers; I was entirely consumed with my life mission – to pray and plead. But then another woman tapped my shoulder and said: 'Only you, get up.'"

"I wanted to refuse and ask them to leave me alone," she recalls, "but suddenly I fell silent and told myself: 'Rabbi Shimon is asking you, not them.' So I left everything, and with tears still in my eyes, I went to gather the children and read Psalms with them. That was the first time, but definitely not the last. From then until today, I gather the children every Shabbat afternoon; sometimes it's a few dozen children and sometimes even a few hundred. Together, we read chapters of Psalms, after which I tell them fascinating stories of tzaddikim, teaching them about Rabbi Shimon, and finally, I hand out sweets and surprises overseen by Mrs. Tamar, which are products people donate in honor of the tzaddik. Nearly 14 years have passed since then, and during this time there hasn't been almost a single Shabbat that I haven't done this. I consider it such a great privilege."

(Photo: Yaakov Naumi / Flash 90)

Galia Sylvia points out that besides the Psalms with the children, she has the opportunity every Shabbat to be part of a group of women who consistently come to Rabbi Shimon's site. "We study together, sometimes all night, and then pray Shacharit at the site. Each of us then goes to eat the Shabbat meal and rest a bit, and then I return to the site to organize the Psalms recital for the children. They are so sweet, always cooperative and attentive. I've truly been blessed."

Prayers Do Not Return Empty

When I ask Galia Sylvia about the health of her daughter who fell ill, she grows silent, her voice chokes with pain as she shares that six years ago her daughter passed away. "I know this is not the ending you would expect because we usually pray, tear open the heavens, and want so much to see miracles. But the decree had already been sealed, and I believe that Hashem knows best what is good for her. I'm not complaining, just hurting and missing her dearly."

Nonetheless, Galia Sylvia emphasizes that she is certain that no prayer was for nothing, and Hashem receives all prayers and Psalms and keeps them for the right moment. "I can tell you that nearly seven years ago, on the eve of Passover, doctors called us to say goodbye to our daughter. They said her systems were failing and the situation was critical. I was at home then, trying to clean for Passover, and when I understood how severe the situation was, I began to cry out and pray as never before. With all the merits I have from praying at graves of tzaddikim, which are indeed great, I felt at that moment that the Master of the Universe wanted my prayer here, in my home, wanted me to cry out and speak to Him, and that's what I did, pleading for mercy. And truly, we experienced a salvation beyond the natural order when two days later my daughter was discharged from the hospital and she lived for another six months. This taught me that there is One above who receives prayers and directs them to the right place for us. Sometimes He judges with mercy and sometimes with justice, but it is always for the best and most correct outcome."

"I don't know heavenly calculations," adds Galia Sylvia, "but I can mention another event I experienced – on the night of Lag BaOmer three years ago when the horrific disaster occurred in Meron, I reached the site and even received a special permit to enter the lighting area. I passed all the barriers, and a quarter-hour before midnight, when I intended to enter to pray, a hysterical policeman approached me and announced: 'Ma'am, the building is about to collapse, get out!' I looked around, nothing seemed to move, but he continued to scream and evacuate all the women there. As I exited the compound, I already saw many stretchers, and a terrible silence prevailed. At that point, we didn't yet grasp the magnitude of the horrific tragedy because a silence had fallen over the mountain; we only heard the noise of people rushing with stretchers. But it turns out that Hashem protected me from approaching the dangerous area and from being harmed. So perhaps indeed the prayers awaited this moment.

"I hear many salvation stories around me and also read stories of tzaddikim, inspiring stories that give me a lot of strength to continue and influence others," she adds. "I share this with the sweet children who recite Psalms and their parents, strengthening them spiritually and feeling they infuse me with great vitality. From time to time, I pause and simply derive joy from this activity, thinking about how, unfortunately, there are people who experience tragedies and cannot recover from them, whereas I, thank God, stand on my feet despite everything, continue to be active and strive to do only good in life. This is great heavenly assistance, and I have no doubt that the prayers at Rabbi Shimon's site always stand in my favor. Because we are on a journey all the time and continuing the path and the golden chain of the people of Israel."