Born Clara Hershcovici on October 27, 1940, in Dorohoi, Romania, Ora Stock entered the world in the shadow of war. When she was just eight months old, she and her family were deported to Transnistria, a region of labor and concentration camps where hundreds of thousands of Jews perished from starvation, disease, and brutality. Separated from her father—who was sent to a labor camp in Siberia—Ora survived the unimaginable as an infant, sustained by her mother’s strength and her grandparents’ care.

After the war, the family rebuilt their lives in Romania until her father was finally released and reunited with them. Soon after, they immigrated to Israel, where Clara’s name was changed to Ora, meaning “light.” Despite financial hardship, she pursued her education with determination, earning her GED, graduating from the prestigious Hadassah School of Nursing, and serving as a nurse in the Israeli army.

Now a proud mother and grandmother of eight, Ora chooses hope over bitterness. Though deeply concerned about rising antisemitism, she continues to believe in resilience, gratitude, and the power of the human spirit to rise after even the darkest times. Her life is a testament to strength, faith, and the enduring light of survival.