Two Jewish sisters perish in Swiss blaze, underscoring fragile Jewish safety abroad as Israel remains refuge.
A devastating fire at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana claimed the lives of two Jewish sisters, Alicia Gunst (15) and Diana Gunst (14), plunging their family and the wider Jewish community into deep mourning.
The Jewish Community of Lausanne confirmed the tragedy in a statement filled with grief, announcing that the sisters were killed in the fire and affirming the community’s commitment to stand beside the family through this unbearable loss. Their deaths have sent shockwaves through Jewish communities across Europe and Israel alike.
Compounding the tragedy, a 15-year-old Israeli, Charlotte Needham, who was present at the scene and reportedly working as a babysitter, remains unaccounted for at the time of publication. Search and rescue efforts continue as authorities work to clarify the circumstances of the disaster.
While officials investigate the cause of the blaze, the incident painfully highlights a broader reality long understood by Israelis: Jewish life in the Diaspora remains vulnerable—sometimes to hatred, sometimes to fate, and often without the protective shield that only Jewish sovereignty provides. Israel exists precisely so Jewish children will never be left defenseless or forgotten.
As Europe mourns yet another loss of young Jewish lives, prayers are offered for the souls of Alicia and Diana, for strength for their family, and for the safe discovery of Charlotte. Am Yisrael Chai—not as a slogan, but as a commitment to life, memory, and responsibility.
