A pin to honor former hostage Emily Damari has been created by the department of the diaspora of the World Zionist Organization in honor of International Women’s Day.
The organization chose to highlight Damari’s inspiring story of her time in captivity, as she has become such a strong symbol of hope and perseverance since her release.
The pin features a picture of a bandaged hand with two missing fingers to represent Damari’s hand. This hand has become a symbol of the former hostage, who lost two fingers after being shot in the hand during the October 7 attack. She was also shot in the leg before being kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
“Thank you so much for this initiative,” said Damari. “It’s crazy and amazing. I have no words.”
Emily Damari, international role model
The goal is to spread a global message inspired by Damari’s strength and resilience, with the department encouraging the use of the hashtag #ZionistSheroes to share the pin on social media.
“Emily’s story is a model of determination and female strength in the face of inhumane conditions. This pin will travel across the world, serving as a symbol of heroism and victory,” said Nerya Meir, who heads the department of Zionist activity in the diaspora at the WZO.
The initiative involved a limited-edition production of pins, distributed worldwide to both individuals and organizations helping to empower women in the public sphere and preserve the stories of Israeli heroism.
Last week, Damari underwent surgery at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. She shared on social media that it was nothing short of a miracle that she didn’t die from an infection.
“‘Hi, I’m Dr. Hamas,’ that’s what the doctor at Shifa told me before my ‘surgery,’” she said.
“And then came that moment – they took me into the operating room, and right in front of me was a corpse,” she said. “I looked up and saw the blue sky that should have been gray on such a day. I prayed to God to watch over me. When I woke up, ‘Dr. Hamas’ told me I had lost two fingers, and my leg wound was left open with only four stitches instead of sixteen.”