Orit Ettinger Mark is the kind of person who changes the way you see challenges - someone whose words touch your heart and stay with you long after you have heard her speak.

This summer, Migdal Ohr had the privilege of hearing her story at two gatherings, a business lunch in Midtown Manhattan and an evening in the Five Towns.

Orit lost her father, Michael, and her mother was critically injured in a terrorist attack when she was a teen. Her beloved brother Shlomi was killed during his military service, her cousin Elhanan Klamenzon was killed rescuing people from Kibbutz Be'eri on Oct 7th. Two years later, Orit lost her younger brother Pdaya, who was killed fighting in Gaza.

After so much loss, what defines Orit is not what she has endured, but how she choses to live forward. She spoke with clarity and courage about how she chooses light every day and works to elevate the memories of her loved ones through her foundation, "Or Michael", rallying thousands of teens across Israel to do good and be a part of social change.

Orit’s story is not only about resilience. It is about the future. For a generation that is experiencing so much loss and trauma, the light and hope that Orit embodies are the only way forward.

For decades, Migdal Ohr has been bringing light to vulnerable children who have faced poverty, trauma, and instability and helping them to discover their potential.

Today, tens of thousands are illuminating society as members of the army, local leaders, educators, heads of families, and entrepreneurs! Like Orit, they are living proof that the light always wins out over the darkness and that there is always hope for a brighter future!

Thank you to the corporate hosts of the business lunch and the Mishaan family in Lawrence, NY for so graciously opening their home.