A group of Sderot area children at the Mini Israel Amusement park on May 24.
The Jewish Agency has taken 2,000 children for day-long outings since the recent
outbreak of rocket attacks.

June 8, 2007 / 22 Sivan 5767

Jewish Agency brings delegation from Sderot to visit
Federations across US

Some 2,500 Sderot area youth taken out of the area for brief respite; preparations made for summer camp for 8,200

In the 25 days since the severe escalation in rocket attacks on Sderot and the surrounding area, the Jewish Agency has conducted a variety of emergency relief activities, including single-day and 3-day vacations for 2,500 children and teens, and will bring all 8,200 youth living in the Sderot area to a week-long camp in the center of the country in the coming weeks. These activities are funded by $2.5 million in emergency assistance allocated during the crisis by the United Jewish Communities, UIA Federations Canada, and Keren Hayesod.

 Separately, the Jewish Agency, in conjunction with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sent two delegations of Sderot residents to Europe to explain to the press and legislators the reality of life under constant threat and attack. On Sunday (June 10), a delegation of Sderot residents will arrive in the US and tour federations and communities across the country. On Monday (June 11, at 10a.m.), the Jewish Agency and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations will hold a press conference in New York City with Sderot residents; a press conference is also planned for later in the week in Washington, DC.

Since the outbreak of the crisis, the Jewish Agency has carried out the following activities, with the emergency funding from the United Jewish Communities and UIA Canada:

• 2,000 youth (ages 6-18) were taken out of the area for day-long recreation and amusement activities. In a single day, on Thursday, May 24, over 1,600 children were taken on 35 buses for a day to amusement parks in the center of the country. (The cost of taking a child for one-day activities is approximately $27 a child).

• 500 teens (ages 12-17) were taken for 3-day long vacations at camp sites in the center of the country. (The cost of a 3-day vacation is approximately $175 a child.)

• A weekend retreat for a few dozen security personnel, specifically firefighters, and their spouses.

• Emergency supply kits to 50 bomb shelters.

• Emergency grants from the Victims of Terror Fund to some 20 families who were either injured in a rocket attack or had significant damage to their home.

Now, with the formal end of the school year, the Jewish Agency will bring all 8,200 youth, ages 6 to 18, from the Sderot area to a week-long camp in the center and north of the country. (The cost of taking one child to camp for a week is approximately $300.)

Additionally, the Jewish Agency is converting the dining hall at the Ibim immigrant absorption center, located less than a mile from Sderot and within Kassam range, so that it can also serve as a shelter against rocket attacks for young Ethiopian and Russian immigrants.

A woman treated following a Kassam attack on May 21. The Jewish Agency
provided a weekend retreat for emergency workers, especially firefighters,
and their spouses. (Credit: Israel Sun)

“We told the people of Sderot that we would be at their side when they are under attack,” said Jewish Agency Chairman Zeev Bielski. “The whole of world Jewry is united behind them. Just as we did in the North during the war in Lebanon last summer, the Jewish Agency and our partners the UJC, UIA Canada and Keren Hayesod, are standing up in times of crisis.”

For more information about press opportunities during the US visit of the delegation from Sderot, or to attend the press conference in New York City on Monday, please contact Jacob Dallal, director of public relations.

Jacob Dallal
Director of Public Relations and Marketing
Jewish Agency for Israel – North America
633 Third Ave., 21st floor, New York, NY 10017
Phone: 1-212-339-6064
Mobile: 1-646-644-1205
E-mail: jacobd@jafi.org