Ester Avraham was born in the late 1960s in Jerusalem, growing up in the Givat Shaul neighborhood within a supportive Haredi community. Until age nine, her life was entirely ordinary — studying at Beit Yaakov, active in the Batya youth movement, and looking forward to a bright future.
The Origin Event
At age nine, returning from a Batya movement trip during Passover, the bus driver lost control after diverting his attention to counting money. The bus overturned and crashed. Ester was trapped in the vehicle's frame, suffered a severe head injury, and her leg was amputated. A crane was required for rescue. She survived.
The Awakening
When she woke up in the hospital without a leg, a nine-year-old girl made a decision that would change her life: her life had changed forever, but it had not stopped. From that moment of decision, Ester never looked back.
The Wounded Healer — Hydrotherapy
Ester became a senior hydrotherapist — treating people with disabilities through water rehabilitation. Water, which neutralizes gravity and enables free movement, became her arena of power. Often, her patients don't know that the skilled, confident therapist standing before them is herself an amputee.
Social Work
🏅 National Recognition — Health Minister's Shield
In March 2017, Ester was awarded the Health Minister's Shield for outstanding volunteers, in a ceremony at the Knesset. One of the highest institutional recognitions in Israel's health sector.
🏔️ Thorong La — 5,416 Meters
Ester became the first female amputee to cross the Thorong La pass in the Annapurna mountains of Nepal — at 5,416 meters above sea level, on crutches. Five days of climbing through snow. When she reached the summit, she cried with emotion — and she says she's not a person who cries.