JNF gives kids a break
COMMUNITIES in southern Israel under Hamas rocket bombardment are receiving practical support from the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Australia through its JNF Emergency Fund for Children of the South.
COMMUNITIES in southern Israel under Hamas rocket bombardment are receiving practical support from the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Australia through its JNF Emergency Fund for Children of the South.
From the time the latest hostilities erupted, JNF Australia has worked closely with Negev communities bordering Gaza to identify their needs – and it quickly emerged that children and their families needed respite from hiding in bomb shelters.
Donor support in Australia has helped send some 300 Israeli children on three-day activities programs hosted at the JNF-Keren Kayemet L’Israel Field & Forest Education Centres in Tzippori, Lavie and Nes Harim. Children engaged in activities provided by trained counsellor-guides and were given a break from the relentless sounds of sirens and bombing.
JNF NSW president Alex Abulafia said the response from Israel to the respite project has been heartening. “We are truly humbled by the volume of thank-you letters that we have been receiving from the region, when it is us who should be thanking them.”
Support for the Negev communities comes naturally to the Australian Jewish community and JNF patrons, according to JNF Australia national president Peter Smaller. “We support these communities in the Negev year round, so the need to help them in times of crisis is something we feel quite personally, over and above our normal Zionist impulses”
Alon Shuster, mayor of the Sha’ar HaNegev council, thanked JNF Australia for its ongoing support, writing to the organisation: “These challenging days are a great opportunity for understanding the human and national strengths we have, here in Israel and there in Australia, and we gain strength from the commitment and love that we get from you in this challenging era.”
To make a donation to the Emergency Fund for Children of the South, contact JNF Australia on 1300-JNF-JNF or visit www.jnf.org.au.
AJN STAFF
Children taken to a respite facility by JNF.
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