Romi Is the Only Survivor from the Vehicle, We're Confident She Will Be Saved from Gaza Too

Meital Weiss can't forget the phone call on the morning of Simchat Torah. Romi Gonen, her husband's 23-year-old daughter, was on the line reporting she was at a party in Re'im and that terrorists had infiltrated the area. "Romi arrived at the party that morning and barely had time to be there," Meital explains. "As disturbances began, she called us, then her older sister, and also her mother. This went on intermittently for four hours. Her mother heard voices in real-time saying: 'She's alive, take her.' At that moment, we didn't fully understand what was happening, but looking back, we learned that everyone with her in the vehicle was murdered; Romi is the sole survivor from the car. We realized something bad had happened, but only the next day did we understand she was kidnapped to Gaza when locating her mobile device and translating the call."

Meital notes that from that moment, her and her husband's lives turned upside down. Meital, the manager of a successful personal coaching business using various unique methods, left her job, and together with her husband, dedicates all possible efforts to bringing Romi home. "For the past 12 years, Romi has grown up with us and is like a daughter to me in every way," Meital emphasizes. "I also have triplet daughters of my own, 22 years old, and they feel like sisters to her, we all miss Romi so much."

Meital Weiss's clinic

Coaching as a Way of Life

Meital began her coaching career around six years ago, after working for 24 years as a salaried employee in industry and management roles. After a long exposure to personal development, she realized there was something to it and decided to delve deeper into it. Eventually, she gathered the courage to enroll in coaching studies and realized this was her calling. She established a large center offering various coaching methods under one roof.

"Right at the start of this journey, when I established the center, I suffered a severe injury that required surgeries and implantations of metal plates," she shares. "I felt as though the world had stopped, but in a moment's decision, I knew I wasn't ready to let that happen. I adopted the most suitable coaching methods for me, took it step by step until I was freed from the pain and the restrictive condition, and more than that—I even participated in an international competition involving running, swimming, and cycling. This happened solely thanks to the process I underwent and my belief—that I have the strength and capability."

Do you feel the personal processes you've been through help you cope with Romi's story?

"Nothing in the world can prepare you for such a situation," she responds with pain. "We feel our whole lives have turned upside down; there's no joy in anything until Romi returns. However, I certainly feel that the guidance I've given over the years to hundreds of those I coached and the personal work I've done on myself help us maintain sanity in this insane situation and understand how to manage reality rather than let it manage us. At my center, I always strive to offer a variety of coaching methods so that everyone can tailor them according to what suits them. That's what I'm doing now, utilizing various approaches—physical, mental, and also spiritual."

How does this manifest practically?

"First of all, by striving to remain optimistic," Meital emphasizes. "We constantly envision Romi's return home, confident the moment will come. Alongside this, we are partners in the tireless efforts of the hostages' headquarters, engaged in every possible action to advance their return. We participate in meetings at the Knesset, and support demonstrations for returning the hostages. My daughters have been sleeping for a month and a half at the hostage square, and two of them are on the medical team related to the hostages' headquarters. Every weekend, we all sleep together with them at the hostage square, and next Monday, we'll be at the Knesset, Romi's mom is interviewed and speaks everywhere possible, and we're all making every effort possible. In moments of irony, we joke that 'we've shifted to working at Romi Inc.'"

Have you received any sign of life from Romi during her captivity?

"About three weeks ago, when the last hostages were released, they told us they saw Romi and that she has a gunshot wound in her neglected hand and is not in good condition. We were relieved to hear she was alive, but this information is accurate to the time it was told to us, and we have no idea what her current state is today. Initially, we listened to all the predictions and assumptions people and experts tossed around until we reached the decision only to listen to the information provided by the military officer accompanying us, and that's what we've been doing."

Continuing to Believe

Throughout the weeks that have passed since her abduction, have there been moments of despair?

"There was no despair for even a moment, but clearly, there are periods of ups and downs; we constantly feel like we're on a rollercoaster, believing there's hope one moment and experiencing bitter disappointment the next. One particularly disappointing moment was when the ceasefire ended, and we realized that the lists stopped and that Romi wouldn't be released soon. Until then, we hoped that 'Romi would arrive any second' and 'she'd definitely be included in the next deal,' and then reality hit us hard. The disappointment was enormous, but we couldn't allow ourselves to dwell in the disappointed and painful place; it was a waste for us to expend energy comforting ourselves. We decided not to blame anyone, but to fully support the army and the state because we have no other option. I sincerely hope they will take responsibility and bring her home soon."

And what about your personal lives? Have you returned to any sort of routine?

Meital smiles bitterly: "We're still working at 'Romi Inc.', but in the past week, we've begun trying to return to some form of routine, mainly for our mental health and also for our livelihood. We're doing this out of the understanding that Romi needs us healthy and strong mentally when she returns; she doesn't want us to break."

"In practice, it's very challenging because we live in the north but are required to frequently travel to the central area and the Knesset. Also, on a personal level—my business hasn't been active at all for the last two and a half months, and I almost need to rebuild it from scratch. Since I'm not a blood relative of Romi, I'm not receiving any support from the state. I was offered to accept donations, but I didn't want to. Instead, I'm offering people who help me a kind of 'rewards'—coaching processes, coaching cards, therapeutic cards, and more." Meital also emphasizes: "Of course, alongside all this, we continue to think and do everything to bring Romi home. We're constantly focused on her, and that obviously comes before anything else."

The situation sounds so impossible. What gives you strength in this challenge?

For the first time since the conversation began, Meital pauses for a moment, reflects a little, and then answers confidently: "Faith, and only faith. I've been blessed with very strong faith that has strengthened even more since what happened. I believe that nothing happens for no reason, and that Romi, who was miraculously saved from the party and was the only one who survived from the vehicle, will continue to be protected until she returns to us. I have no doubt at all that this will happen. I believe and trust Hashem, and also in ourselves and Romi, with her incredible strength and capabilities."