57: “Alone, Together” Part VII - Something Like A Brother

<p>Stories matter. They have the power of connecting us over time and space. And in the finale of our “Alone, Together” miniseries, we see how a podcast episode turned two strangers - a man from Migdal HaEmek, Israel, and a woman from Porto Alegre, Brazil - into soulmates.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Porto Alegre is a large city in the south of Brazil, a five-hour drive from the border with Uruguay. Five rivers converge there, making it an important center of industry and commerce. Though its name means “joyful harbor,” in 2017, Porto Alegre ranked as the world’s 39th <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-violent-cities-in-the-world-2018-3?r=US&amp;IR=T" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">most violent city</a>, with nearly 41 homicides per 100,000 residents. And while the city does have a sizable Jewish community, primarily Eastern Europeans who founded the local União Israelita association and settled in the <a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bom_Fim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bom Fim</a> neighborhood, there are no direct flights from Porto Alegre to Tel Aviv. So why, you might wonder, is Porto Alegre featured in the final episode of a series exploring life in Israel during the pandemic?</p><p><br></p><p>Porto Alegre is home to Isabel Christina de Oliveira, a 54-year-old public school teacher. Isabel isn’t Jewish and has never been to Israel. But through Israel Story, and over Zoom, she found an unlikely friend with whom she could share a terribly painful experience.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Back in March, Isabel traveled to Italy. Unbeknownst to her, she contracted the virus in Bergamo, and brought it back to Brazil. She was the first COVID-19 patient in her region. And though she immediately went into quarantine, she was publicly shamed and blamed, especially on social media. Vicious posts accused her of infecting the country and made her feel incredibly guilty.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>If all that sounds familiar, you are not mistaken: In episode 52, “<a href="https://israelsto