24 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023
J
N
OUR COMMUNITY
O
n Oct. 8, Shira
Brown’s husband,
Menachem, was
called up as a reservist, and
Shira struggled to care for
their two children Ori, 4, and
Hadar, 9 months, by herself.
On Oct. 9, Shira created
a Facebook post about
the tactical needs of her
husband’s unit and was
gratified at the many
donations that came flooding
in. She raised more than
3,000 NIS (about $800) in a
few hours.
One donation took her
by surprise: Her cousin, Ita
Feldman of Florida, messaged
her, “I’m sending you money,
but it’s not for the gear. It’s for
you — get yourself therapy
and a massage.”
“I was blown away; I felt so
seen,” Shira said.
Knowing that there are
thousands of wives in the
same position, including
60+ alone in her moshav,
Sde Ilan in the lower Galilee,
Shira was eager to get that
feeling to others. She created
a landing page on her social
media marketing website
where donors from around
the world can support
these “Sheroes,” as she calls
them, a term used since the
suffragette movement that
describes any heroic woman.
“Being without my
husband, especially with
small kids at home, is really
hard. I’m trying to keep
positive; but honestly, I’m
scared, sad and lonely,” Shira
said. “I don’t share that with
Menachem. I don’t want to
make him feel bad. I know it’s
not important in the grand
scheme of things, but he and
all the husbands are fighting
with the full support of their
wives — and we also need
support.”
HELPING LONE SOLDIERS
It’s not Shira’s first time
organizing something special.
Shira grew up in Southfield
and attended Beth Jacob and
then-Akiva. When she was
18, she did Sheirut Leumi
(IDF community service),
made aliyah on her own in
2014 and was thrilled when
her parents, Avi and Lisa
Parshan, joined her and made
aliyah in 2017.
Seeing a need, Shira
organized a program where
Lone Soldiers could fill
out an informational form
about themselves, including
location, languages spoken,
kashrut level, age, etc. — and
she would pair them with
similar-sounding families.
Former Metro Detroiter sets up fund
to help the women who are holding
the fort while their husbands serve.
Sheroes: The
Wives Behind
the Soldiers
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Shira and Menachem Brown and their kids during happier times
earlier this year.
Menachem Brown
came back to his
thrilled family twice
since the war broke
out, each time for
24 hours.