Seventy women gathered in Sydney, Australia, recently for a yoga session and healing circle to honor Carmel Gat, an Israeli yoga instructor who was murdered while in Hamas captivity after being abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

The event, held on May 16, which would have been Gat’s 41st birthday, was organized by Lev Echad (“One Heart”), a division of WIZO NSW composed of women aged 30 to 50. The morning began with the lighting of 41 candles, each symbolizing a year of her life.

Funds raised from the event will support Makom Balev (“A Place in the Heart”), a WIZO-backed shelter and empowerment center in Beersheva for women who have no safe place to turn.

Lev Echad members first encountered Gat’s story during a solidarity mission to Israel in May 2024, where they met her family and friends at Be’eri, on her 40th birthday.

“Carmel reminded us that even in the darkest places, light can be found through the body, breath and spirit,” said one participant. “She embodied peace and resilience. Today, we honored her not just in mourning—but in movement.”

Makom Balev offers refuge, rehabilitation and a new path forward—ensuring that Gat’s spirit continues to uplift others.

Image - JNS/Women attend a yoga event in Sydney, Australia, to honor the memory of Hamas victim Carmel Gat and raise funds for a WIZO-backed shelter and empowerment center for women in Beersheva, May 16, 2025. Credit: WIZO.