"Standing with our country": Two of the world's leading wedding dress designers, Pnina Tourna and Galia Lahav, announced that they would not take part in New York Bridal Fashion Week following the Hamas attack. The bridal couture fashion show is scheduled for today (Thursday).
Tournai wrote on Instagram: "My country, my people, my family and my friends are under attack. Hamas terrorists murdered hundreds of Israelis in cold blood, including women and children in their homes and young people at a peace festival. Innocent civilians – women, children and the elderly – are being held hostage in Gaza."
Toura, whose designs are multi-sale at the famous Kleinfeld bridal boutique in New York, explained that the inspiration for the collection that was supposed to be launched was "Utopia."
Instagram screenshot,
"Just a few weeks ago I decided to call the collection 'Utopia' because my heart aches from the suffering, division and hatred I saw in the world, and I wanted the artwork to represent my hope for a better world where we all love and care for each other. I couldn't imagine how appropriate it would be. I do what I do to bring beauty and love into the world, and that's more important than ever.
"On Saturday morning I was sure that I had had a bad dream and that I would wake up soon. But the reality is that my country and my people are under vicious attack. War is supposed to take place between armies, not against innocent civilians. This is not war, this is pure terrorism."
The Dimensions of the Disaster at Kibbutz Be'eri / Oren Ben Hakon
She ended by asking people to stand together against "evil." "I call on all good people — and there are so many, I know them and have met them all over the world — to hold hands and pray for better days."
In a similar move, designer Lahav — whose designs are worn by celebs around the world, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton — announced that she and her team made the difficult decision to cancel the show of the collection due to the "difficult situation and deep distress in our home country."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Galia Lahav (@galialahav)
"Our hearts are heavy, and our thoughts are with all those affected. We hope for a future where we can come together to celebrate the beauty and creativity that define our brand."
Lahav, like Tourna, posted on her Instagram account asking the whole world to support Israel. Lahav told of her father, a Holocaust survivor who lost his children, his first wife and his sister during the war against the nobles. She told how her father helped smuggle Jews to Eretz Israel after the war and was even imprisoned for many years.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Galia Lahav (@galialahav)
"After his release, we moved to Israel with the confidence that the Holocaust would not repeat itself. The world promised us. "Over the years, we have dealt with wars with the surrounding countries, but despite everything, we have learned to make peace agreements and work for a better future. The terrorist organizations began to establish themselves on our northern border and in Gaza. They are no different from ISIS, they aspire to destroy everything we have built."
She closed her statement by pleading with her followers, "You promised that the Holocaust will not return, so please support Israel."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us