Marie Nahmias, a Shoah survivor and a mother of 52 foster children from Afula, will light a torch at the annual Independence Day Ceremony, the Jerusalem’s post sister publication in Hebrew Maariv, reported on Tuesday.
"The choice of Marie Nahmias to celebrate the 71st Independence Day represents Israel’s open heart at its best. Marie, a Holocaust survivor, is a magnificent representative of the foster families in Israel,” Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev said.
Nachmias, 71, was born in Tunis and was smuggled out of her home right when she was about to be deported to Nazi Camps. She immigrated to Israel right after the foundation of the state, living in difficult conditions, in a transit camp in Hadera at first and then in one in Afula.
A mother of eight, Marie opened her house to many other children, including many with special needs, Regev further explained.