Children in Besieged Kiryat Shmona Get Momentary Respite

Shabbat was anything but quiet in Kiryat Shmona this past Saturday, July 22, as 29 katyusha rockets hit the city. Despite the ongoing terror, the morale of families in bomb shelters, cramped underground for more than 10 days, was unusually high in this besieged city.

A cadre of JDC youth volunteers (part of JDC’s AMEN network) traveled to Kiryat Shmona with volunteer photographers from 'Click-Art Community' — a group of photographers who lend their expertise to social and communal projects — together with clowns, make-up artists and entertainers.

The community collected donations for equipment, games and one hundred servings of a traditional Yemenite dish called Jachnun. After the children had indulged in the delicious food, the clown began to entertain them and the make-up artists painted the children's faces. The volunteers from 'Click-Art Community' photographed the children and presented them with their photos on the spot.

Shlomit, Director of JDC-ELKA, and the Mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Haim Barbivai, participated in this day of activities for the children of Kiryat Shmona in the shelters. Mayor Barbivai took JDC officials on a tour of the city, including visits to sites hit by katyusha missiles. Mayor Barbivai commended JDC-Israel for its work.

Shabbat is an especially difficult time for those families confined to bomb shelters in Northern Israel. The professional staff that offers services to those sheltered in bomb shelters return to their own families for the weekend. Furthermore, many of the more affluent families from these exposed communities in the North have sought refuge with family and friends in Central and Southern Israel.