Dozens of female IDF soldiers and others wounded by terrorism have been given a vacation to New York City to cheer their spirits as they deal with medical and emotional rehabilitation.

The trip was organized by two Chabad movement bodies, one a center for Israelis in Manhattan and the other an organization supporting terror victims.

One of the vacationers is Chani Avramov, who was critically wounded while serving in the Border Police. Terrorists opened fire on a jeep in which Avramov was sitting as she worked with her unit to stop terrorists from infiltrating Israeli cities.

After the attack, paramedics had to resuscitate Avramov three times. She lost large quantities of blood, and paramedics were sure she was going to die – so sure that her unit was accidentally informed that she had died.

Miraculously, she not only survived, but regained consciousness just four hours after life-saving surgery. Since then, her journey has been a hard one. She has been through more than 15 surgeries, and wounds to her face and legs ended a promising talent for song and dance.

Another one of the young women, Tzipi Bloomberg, was badly wounded 11 years ago in a terrorist shooting that killed her mother, who had been in her fourth month of pregnancy, and left her father paralyzed.

Bloomberg said that the excitement of the trip helped her to forget the pain she suffers every day.

“To see these young women whose lives were broken, emotionally and physically, and to see all the challenges they face each day – it leaves you at a loss for words,” said Liora Kutner, who headed the trip. “Their arrival in New York lets them forget everything and enjoy some of the best and happiest moments they have had in years, and that is the biggest gift Chabad is able to give them.”

Rabbi Uriel Vilger, another organizer, expressed similar sentiments. “If we can help one of these brave souls to forget her pain and sorrow and to feel hope for just one short moment, that will be enough for us,” he said.