Keeping the Children Safe: After School Activities

The commencement of the new school year in Israel also marked the start of the third year of the country’s security crisis.

This continuing, stark reality presents a new challenge in JDC’s efforts to "Keep the Children Safe," which is being funded by the UJC/Federation Israel Emergency Campaign.

Most of Israel’s children finish school early in the afternoon – sometimes as early as 12:30 or 1:00. With many of their parents still at work, Israeli children’s typical unsupervised after-school activities, such as playing in public parks, going into town with friends and just hanging out in neighborhoods – harmless in normal circumstances – pose a real threat today.

Aware of this new threat, JDC has set out to meet the challenge of keeping Israel’s children safe, in partnership with the American Jewish community.

JDC, is supporting the implementation of a variety of afternoon programs. The programs will operate from the end of classes until late afternoon/early evening, and will include help with homework; remedial lessons (closing academic gaps); informal educational/social activity; and emotional and psychological support. In some programs, participants will also receive a mid-day meal.

These after-school activities will specifically target a number of particularly vulnerable groups, including:

• children from low-income families who are otherwise unable to afford structured after-school activities
• children from vulnerable immigrant populations, such as Ethiopian- and Caucasus-Israelis
• children from areas of the country that have been worst hit by terrorism, such as Jerusalem, Afula and Hadera
• at-risk and disadvantaged children, including disaffected youth and youngsters with disabilities

Some 40,000 Israeli children of all ages, from elementary through high school, will benefit from this After School component of the "Keep the Children Safe" campaign.

The dire need to protect Israel’s children has been transformed into an opportunity to enrich and to enlighten. Together with the American Jewish community, JDC now is carrying out this critical mission.