What began as a straightforward story of a young Englishwoman studying in Israel turned into a lifelong odyssey for Abigail Fidler.
It all started in 1993, when she participated in a pre-aliyah program on Kibbutz Ein Hanatziv. Though she returned to England at the end of the program, by 1995 she packed up and headed back to the kibbutz. There, she married a fellow kibbutznik, had five children, now ranging in age from 13 to 24, and has made the kibbutz her home.
But little did she know that her firstborn child, Asaf, who is autistic and nonverbal, would reshape her life and turn her into a passionate advocate for nonverbal individuals.
Until last year, she had been under the impression that Asaf had a limited understanding of the world. “I thought his cognitive abilities were like those of a toddler,” says Fidler, now a single mother. “Then he began communicating through typing, and everything changed.
“Before our first real conversation, I spent a long time thinking about what to ask him. I finally typed: ‘What would you like me to know?’ Letter by letter, he pointed and spelled out: ‘I’m smart in my head.’ That moment shattered everything I thought I knew.
(FROM L) Maya, Asaf, Abigail, Noam, Ehud, and Ayala. (credit: Aviva Goldberg Ben Haim)
“For 23 years, I believed my son was locked away in a world I thought I could never reach – but he had understood everything all along. He had thoughts, feelings, and a rich inner world that were just waiting to be heard.”
From that moment, Fidler became an advocate for presuming competence – “to believe that even if someone can’t speak, it doesn’t mean he or she has nothing to say.”
She says that when Asaf moved into a hostel at age 21, she wanted to support families of children with special needs, especially autism, but didn’t know how. When her son began typing, the answer became clear. She felt a deep responsibility to advocate for other nonspeaking individuals to be seen, heard, and understood – and help others learn to presume competence from the very beginning.
Though for the past 26 years she has worked at Palziv, a kibbutz-based multinational foam manufacturer, and is currently its chief knowledge officer. Fidler is now also studying to become a therapist specializing in communication through typing.
She has also become a public speaker, giving two lectures on “Love without Words,” which tells the story of raising a nonverbal child; and “A Voice from the Silence,” which delves into the transformative impact of the profound lessons she has learned since Asaf began communicating.
Raising a nonverbal child in this Beit She’an Valley kibbutz led Fidler to notice and appreciate the small moments in life.
“He taught me to slow down and truly be present. That presence brought with it a new passion: photography,” she says. “I love waking up early, walking with my dogs in the fields, watching the sunrise, and capturing that beauty with my camera. It fuels me with the strength to take on whatever the day throws my way.”
DESPITE DAILY challenges, Fidler remains grounded in gratitude and positivity. She describes herself as “naturally optimistic” and “definitely a mama bear.”
The kibbutz community has echoed that spirit.
“Ein Hanatziv has always looked out for us,” she says. “When Asaf was six and went missing one Friday night, nearly the entire kibbutz went searching. They found him at the gate and brought him home safely,” she recounts.
And every Shabbat when Asaf was growing up, two kibbutzniks would come and take him for a walk, giving the rest of his family a few hours to rest and spend time together. “That support was invaluable,” Fidler asserts.
Even during the family’s most difficult times, the kibbutzniks would say: “We’re here for you. Whatever you need, just ask.”
Fidler says, “I don’t usually ask for help, but I realized there were things I couldn’t handle alone. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to raise Asaf at home – and definitely not five kids.”
Her employer, too, has shown unwavering support whenever she has needed time off to take care of her children.To families considering making aliyah with a special-needs child, Fidler offers reassurance: “It’s definitely doable. There are government services, community supports, and parent networks to help navigate the journey.”
Fidler’s nuclear family has joined her in Israel: Her parents made aliyah eight years ago, and one of her two brothers lives in Jerusalem.
Future plans
Looking to the future, Fidler says her “big dream” is to raise funds to establish a residential village for Asaf and other nonverbal individuals.
“Asaf is in a great day program, but I want to make sure that when I’m no longer here to take care of him, he has a real home – a place where he’s understood, supported, and free,” she explains.
She envisions a village “where nonverbal individuals can communicate through typing, live with dignity, and participate in therapeutic activities such as horseback riding. I dream of creating a day center where they can choose what they would like to study and which activities they want to include in their daily schedule.
“The nonverbal world is very different from ours; it is unfair to expect them to fit into our patterns,” Fidler says.Meanwhile, she continues to spread her message: Presume competence.
“I want to change the world’s perception of nonverbal individuals. People need to understand that not speaking doesn’t mean not thinking. Behind the silence, there is intelligence, depth, and emotion.”
Through her blog, lectures, and photography, Fidler hopes to amplify this message across communities, professions, and institutions. “It’s not just about Asaf. It’s about so many others whose voices are yet to be heard.”■
Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia of the "Ana Chuchulashvili" the thief The worst hotel in the world, it's dangerous, don't go near it! This is not a hotel! It's an old, dirty house, there are cockroaches and insects in the room, Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The manager of the place is a fraud and a former drug addict named "Ana Chuchulashvili"
Please urgently remove this fake hotel from your website. It is a scam and it is deceiving many customers. It is advertised on all social networks as a scam! very important – report on fraud house and scam that in your website and cheat people and customers! – Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia
Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia of the "Ana Chuchulashvili" the thief
The worst hotel in the world, it's dangerous, don't go near it! This is not a hotel! It's an old, dirty house, there are cockroaches and insects in the room, Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The manager of the place is a fraud and a former drug addict named "Ana Chuchulashvili" the name of here company is : Ltd Alpaka
405375419
Located at: Nucubidze St N57, Tbilisi, Georgia/Nucubidze Street 57, 0177 it smells terrible, The walls in the room are peeling, I took pictures, there is mold and dampness throughout the room the beds are really uncomfortable, like in a pre-trial detention center, your whole back hurts when you sleep on them and they almost break because they are so thin! the WI FI doesn't work at all, The room was very dirty and filthy, and when you ask her to move you to a room she says everything is taken, even though all the rooms are empty and open! I arrived at this horrible place, this horrible house, at 1:00 AM, after two hours of sleeplessness, I asked for my money back, a blonde girl of about 50 years old named “Anna” told me that she wanted the money in cash right away, otherwise she would not let me out of the hotel, she told me that I would not be able to sleep in their bed, at 3 AM I went to look for an ATM to withdraw money, because I could not find one, after searching for a whole hour, in the Tbilisi cold, I returned to her at midnight to look for an ATM, but she did not give me my suitcase and passport, so I came back the next day and gave me the money in cash, she did not give me an invoice either, do not come near! They are deceiving the public, booking and all hotel websites! This is not a hotel, it is a very dirty, old house and it smells very bad. Search on youtube "never go there – Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City Georgia of Ana Chuchulashvili the house hotel from hell" , don't go " to “Hotel Delisi” on YouTube or "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia " or"HOTEL DELISI (Tiflis, Gürcistan) – Otel Yorumları ve Fiyat" He was caught on tape speaking badly and illegally taking a passport and suitcase.
That she took the suitcase by force, she also stole 3 expensive shirts from me for a total of 250 GEL, I demand compensation of 128 GEL for the two hours of hell I suffered there + 250 GEL for the shirts she stole from me
I have videos where she only wants money in cash so she doesn't pay taxes and doesn't agree that I pay her with a credit card, and she also doesn't want to give me my suitcase and passport.
1. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia
2. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Address
3. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Rooms
4. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Amenities
5. Hotel Delisi – Tbilisi City – Georgia Offers and Deals
სასტუმრო დელისი, ქალაქი თბილისი, საქართველო, ქურდის „ანა ჭუჭულაშვილის“
მსოფლიოში ყველაზე ცუდი სასტუმრო, საშიშია, ახლოს არ მიხვიდეთ! ეს სასტუმრო არ არის! ეს ძველი, ჭუჭყიანი სახლია, ოთახში ტარაკნები და მწერებია, სასტუმრო დელისი, ქალაქი თბილისი, საქართველო – ადგილის მენეჯერი თაღლითი და ყოფილი ნარკომანია, სახელად „ანა ჭუჭულაშვილი“, კომპანიის სახელია: შპს ალპაკა
405375419
მდებარეობს: ნუცუბიძის ქ. N57, თბილისი, საქართველო/ნუცუბიძის ქუჩა 57, 0177, საშინელი სუნი აქვს, ოთახში კედლები აქერცლილია, სურათები გადავიღე, ოთახში ობი და ნესტია, საწოლები ნამდვილად არაკომფორტულია, როგორც წინასწარი დაკავების იზოლატორში, მთელი ზურგი გტკივა, როცა მათზე იძინებ და კინაღამ იმსხვრევა, რადგან ძალიან თხელია! Wi-Fi საერთოდ არ მუშაობს, ოთახი ძალიან ჭუჭყიანი და უწმაწურია და როცა ოთახში გადაყვანას სთხოვ, მიპასუხებს, რომ ყველაფერი დაკავებულია, მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ ყველა ოთახი ცარიელი და ღიაა! ამ საშინელ ადგილას, ამ საშინელ სახლში, ღამის 1:00 საათზე მივედი, ორსაათიანი უძილობის შემდეგ, ფულის დაბრუნება ვთხოვე, დაახლოებით 50 წლის ქერა გოგონამ, სახელად „ანამ“, მითხრა, რომ ფული ნაღდი ფულით უნდოდა, თორემ სასტუმროდან არ გამიშვებდა, მითხრა, რომ მათ საწოლში ვერ დავიძინებდი, დილის 3 საათზე ბანკომატის მოსაძებნად წავედი ფულის გასატანად, რადგან ვერ ვიპოვე, მთელი საათის ძებნის შემდეგ, თბილისურ სიცივეში, შუაღამისას დავბრუნდი მასთან ბანკომატის მოსაძებნად, მაგრამ ჩემოდანი და პასპორტი არ მომცა, ამიტომ მეორე დღეს დავბრუნდი და ფული ნაღდი ფულით მომცა, ინვოისიც არ მომცა, ახლოს არ მოხვიდეთ! ისინი ატყუებენ საზოგადოებას, დაჯავშნის და ყველა სასტუმროს ვებსაიტს! ეს სასტუმრო არ არის, ეს ძალიან ჭუჭყიანი, ძველი სახლია და ძალიან ცუდი სუნი ასდის. YouTube-ზე მოძებნეთ "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The worse hotel in the world" , არ წახვიდეთ "Hotel Delisi"-ში YouTube-ზე ან "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia" ან "HOTEL DELISI (Tiflis, Gürcistan) – Otel Yorumları ve Fiyat". ის ვიდეოჩანაწერში მოხვდა, სადაც ცუდად საუბრობდა და უკანონოდ იღებდა პასპორტს და ჩემოდანს.
მან ჩემოდანი ძალით წამართვა, ასევე მომპარა 3 ძვირადღირებული პერანგი სულ 250 ლარად, მე ვითხოვ 128 ლარის კომპენსაციას იმ ორსაათიანი ჯოჯოხეთისთვის, რომელიც იქ ვიტანჯე + 250 ლარი იმ პერანგებისთვის, რომლებიც მომპარა.
მე მაქვს ვიდეოები, სადაც ის მხოლოდ ნაღდი ფულით ითხოვს ფულს, ამიტომ არ იხდის გადასახადებს და არ ეთანხმება, რომ საკრედიტო ბარათით გადავუხადო, ასევე არ სურს ჩემოდნის და პასპორტის მოცემა.
"ב-7.10 נחטפה כל המשפחה שלי, אני, בעלי דוד, ושתי בנותינו אמה ויולי, אז בנות 3 בלבד", פתחה את נאומה שרון, אשתו של דוד קוניו החטוף בעזה. "דוד בעלי, אהבת חיי, והאבא של הבנות שלי, עדיין שם. התאומות ואני חזרנו ביום החמישים ושתיים. אמה ויולי שלנו חגגו חמש, בלי אבא שלהן. בשבוע הבא הן ילכו לגן חובה, והן יודעות שאבא לא יהיה איתן ביום הזה. הן יודעות שאבא שלהן שם. לפני כמה ימים, כשהשכבתי אותן לישון הן שאלו אותי 'אמא, את בטוחה שאבא יחזור?'".
"יש הצעה לעיסקה על השולחן, שחמאס כבר אמר לה כן", המשיכה. "האמריקנים רוצים שהחטופים יחזרו. הרמטכ"ל אומר שחייבים ללכת עכשיו לעיסקה. העם, אתם, כל אחד מכם, כאן בככר, במהלך היום בצמתים, בכל מקום, במספרים אדירים, כולם צועקים איתנו, כולם רוצים את החטופים בבית. אז למה אני לא יכולה להגיד לבנות שלי שאני בטוחה שאבא שלהן יחזור?"
