- Israel

AMEN Volunteers Bring Smiles to Children in Northern Israel Bomb Shelter

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 was unusually high in this besieged city, thanks to a group of JDC youth volunteers who descended upon the city’s bomb shelters determined to make the children smile.

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.

The visit brought light to the gloomy mood of children who have been cramped in a bomb shelter for over 10 days. It is also brought a needed respite to parents who are exhausted and worried.

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.

July 2006