Jan. 9, 2015 was when Eden Madar's life turned upside down. Eden, now 17 and a student at the Yemin Orde boarding school, was 15 years old and on her way from school to her home in the quiet 12th arrondissement of Paris. She was just about there when Islamic State sympathizer Amedy Coulibaly entered the Hyper Cacher kosher market and started shooting and taking hostages. "Near the market, cops appeared out of nowhere and jumped on me. They wouldn't let me by, but didn't explain what was happening," Eden says. "Later, I realized there were hostages inside. Fearing [there was] another terrorist, they took me and two older people and told us to lie down on the street, underneath the police patrol car, and be quiet," she says. Eden spent two hours lying on the asphalt, surrounded by the noise of explosions and people losing their minds from fear. Q: Do you remember what you felt? "Mainly, I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't understand anything. We were lying on the street underneath the police car while it was going on, but I was hot. Everything was a jumble. I didn't realize what I was doing in that situation. I didn't know what was happening and why I was there. When I saw on my phone that there'd been a terrorist attack, I called my mom to let her know there'd been a terrorist attack and I was okay, but couldn't get home and was still in the street. I didn't tell her I was lying flat on the ground. I waited, so as not to worry her. I remember that there was an older woman next to me. She called her family and told them, 'You can come over for Shabbat, but it's not certain I'll be alive.' She called to say goodbye. When I heard her I was in shock. Until then, I didn't think it was serious or that we were in danger." Four Jews were murdered in the terrorist incident that shook France's Jewish community to its core. Reports say that upon entering the market, the terrorist shot and killed at least two of the hostages. About 15 people who were in the store escaped and hid in the basement. Some hid in the walk-in refrigerator. Eden remembers that the incident dragged on. "Every so often, the police officers would come and tell us that everything was all right. They brought us earplugs and told us to shut our eyes, and asked us to stay quiet," she says. Q: Did you cry? "I didn't cry. Actually, when I'm stressed, I try to laugh. It might have lasted two hours, but for me it felt like a week there under the car. Suddenly, from the direction of the market, we heard shots and the sound of glass breaking. A few minutes later everything was over. They got us out from under the car, and I ran home." After the attack, Eden didn't want to leave the house. "For a month, I didn't go back to school. In the end, I decided I would distance myself and come to Israel to breathe. I was in Israel for a month, and then I went back to France and told my mom I didn't want to go back to school or live in France -- that I wanted to live in Israel. At first, she wouldn't let me, because we're really close, and she didn't want me to leave her. But when she saw that I was having a hard time in Paris and I was always watching TV to see if there were any terrorist attacks, she understood and let up." Dreaming of combat service Eden's relatives looked for an appropriate framework for her and found the program Naaleh, which takes in minors who make aliyah before their parents. Naaleh sends Jewish youth from all over the world to live and study at boarding schools in Israel. Eden arrived at Yemin Orde, on the outskirts of the Haifa, where she has lived for two years with other young olim from France, Brazil and Russia, along with Israeli students. The school is only steps away from the dormitories, the synagogue is located at the heart of the complex, and the young denizens have access to a swimming pool and recreational activities. When Eden thinks back to her early days at Yemin Orde, she remembers mostly tears. . "For a week, I just cried. I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to leave my room. I didn't even go to Hebrew class," she says. But even then, it was clear to her that she would not return to France. "It was just a hard time I had to get through. At first, I didn't want to meet anyone, but after a week I saw how all the girls here were just like me. Their families were in France and they were in Israel, too, and they could support and help me. So I left my room and started going to lessons and meeting girls. Today, they're like my sisters. I was used to living in a city and here, it's like a kibbutz. It's quieter and there's a lot of nature, a dining room, and friends. My two roommates and I are friends like sisters. We sleep, get up, eat, study and celebrate holidays together," she says. Q: Is it what you imagined? "Until I got here, I didn't know Israel. All I knew was Netanya [a coastal city with a large French population]. Since I've been here I've visited other places like the Golan Heights and the Negev. Israelis are warm people. They really help each other, always with a smile. In France, I didn't feel that as much -- people are more suspicious. Israelis are messier, but you get used to it." Q: What are your plans for the future? "I want to serve in the Border Police, do something meaningful. I have a friend and a cousin in the Border Police, and another cousin serving in the Golani Brigade, so I want a combat position. Israel gives us so much, and I want to help the country and contribute to society and to the army." When Eden is asked what her biggest dream is, she doesn't hesitate to reply: "That my family will make aliyah. And to be a child psychologist -- I like giving advice, listening to people and helping them." 'We're safer here' Two of Eden's friends at Yemin Orde are siblings Liora and Eitan Zano (18 and 17, respectively), who, like her, left their parents behind in France, along with a younger sister. Liora arrived at Yemin Orde from Toulouse three years ago, when she was 15. After failing to find her place in various non-Jewish schools, she decided to come to Israel. "As far as the studies went, [the schools] were really good, but socially it was hard to be the only Jew in school. There were a lot of Muslim students, and they would always ask questions like, 'Why don't you eat meat in the cafeteria or at your girlfriends' houses-' I felt uncomfortable. People didn't understand what it was to be Jewish. As much as I tried to explain, it was unpleasant. Q: Did you know what you were getting into? "I didn't know, but I heard that my cousin, whom I wasn't in close contact with, was here. That calmed me a little and now we're really close. When I got here, they put me in a room with two girls I didn't know. On the one hand, it was a little scary and strange, but on the other hand, I was happy, because most of the girls had come from France, without their parents, so I realized I wasn't alone." Eitan arrived at the school a year after his older sister. At first, he hadn't even wanted to make aliyah, but over the course of her first year, Liora had told him about the special youth village, and her efforts paid off. "I was happy in France. I was at a private boarding school with Jewish students, and I thought about coming to Israel to serve in the army, but only after I finished high school. I didn't think I'd leave everything and come. I came for a summer program and really liked it. I realized that my place was in Israel. I came to visit the school, fell in love with it, and decided to stay," Eitan says. Liora kept tabs on terrorist attacks in France, including the one at the Hyper Cacher market, from Yemin Orde. "Although I was in Israel and we felt protected, our families and friends were subjected to terrorism in France. Students here were worried and shocked, because some of them knew people who'd been murdered in the attack. I think that here, we believe we're protected, that nothing like what happened in France can happen to us, but it was scary because there, our families can be targeted. Every time there's a report of a terrorist attack, we call home right away to make sure everything is okay," she says. Q: There are terrorist attacks in Israel, too. "We know there are more terrorist attacks here than in France," Eitan answers. "But here we feel like we're together, a strong people. There are soldiers in the street everywhere, at holy sites, on the train. We see that and feel safer in Israel. ... It's like when you visit a friend and then go home. I feel like this is my home, and when I lived in France I was 'at a friend's.' I'm not saying I suffered there, I had a home and friends, but here I feel more complete." In a month, Liora will complete the 12th grade. She wants to get a draft deferral and finish a degree at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, which she will put to use as a professional when she does enlist. She is currently waiting to see whether she got in. "I intend to enlist [in the army] in any case. If things work out, I'll study at the Technion on the deferral track, and if not, I'll sign up for regular army service and I'll try to get into the Oketz K-9 unit." Q: Will you leave the youth village? "I still don't know where I'll live, but I know I can always come back here. This is my home -- the door is never shut. There are quarters for adults if the need arises. I know I'll be back for Shabbat and holidays," Liora says. Q: Do you feel independent enough? "Yes, even when I came I felt independent. I needed to make decisions at every moment about what I had to do for my future. I think that I'm grown up enough now to leave the school and move on." Eitan, who has been at Yemin Orde for two years, has also matured at an accelerated rate. "I missed home a lot. ... The hardest thing was to change yourself and not screw up. Before [I came] I was less independent, less serious, and when I got here, I matured. I think that thanks to the counselors and the activities I became a better person. I developed a love for fitness. I was in almost all the sports clubs we had here: a running group, training for the army, a gym instructors course via the Wingate Institute, and almost every evening the kids here work out and play soccer and basketball. I'm preparing for the army -- I want to join an elite unit. I want a position as a combat soldier, and even to go to officers training." Last Passover, Liora and Eitan's family came to Israel to celebrate the Seder with them. Usually, they see their parents three or four times a years, but keep in close touch through social media, and still seek their advice on everything. "We're always in touch with them through our family's WhatsApp group," Liora says. "I let them know almost everything and send a lot of pictures, show them what I'm doing here. If I bake a cake and I'm proud of myself, I take a picture and upload it to the group. They know where I'm going and what I'm doing, and when there's anything major or decisions I need to make about the future, I talk to my dad, who advises and soothes me. I need that," she says. Eitan says he speaks to his parents over the phone twice a week. "I only tell them important things. With Dad, I talk about what I should do to be better -- he keeps an eye on me from far away." Q: Which one of you watches out for the other? Liora: "This year, Eitan took part in activities more, so I almost don't see him because he's busy. But I watch out for him, as the big sister." Eitan: "I think it's the opposite -- I look out for her." Liora: "We watch out for one another. I'm older than he is, but it's like we're twins because we're almost the same age." Eitan thinks that eventually, under pressure from him and Liora, the family will follow the two oldest children to Israel. "I worry about my parents and my younger sister. Liora and I are trying to convince her to do what we did and come to Israel with Naaleh. I would like her to come here, too. Our parents want to come. Maybe by that time, they'll come with her. They're thinking about it. The subject is always in the air," he says.
