New dormitories funded by the Swiss Committee under construction at Kiryat Yearim

Hezi Panet, Director of Kiryat Yearim said that Youth Aliyah offers children from disadvantaged backgrounds unique educational solutions. “We provide them with all the things that are missing in their regular schools and communities,” he explained. “Attention and affection, tolerance and support, professional knowhow and specialized therapy.”

Carmen Meyer, Chairperson, Youth Aliyah Swiss Committee, which has supported Kiryat Yearim for 55 years said. "During seven decades Youth Aliyah has enabled countless children to develop themselves emotionally despite living in adverse conditions at home and having to face tragic circumstances, thus enabling them to gain a firm footing in Israel’s every day life. The friends of the Swiss children’s village Kiryat Yearim have worked closely with the Youth Aliyah since 1950 and in 1951 they jointly founded the Swiss children’s village Kiryat Yearim, which at that time mainly admitted children that had survived the Holocaust."

"The population of children in the Youth Villages has naturally changed as time went by, but the scope and goals of education have remained the same: to procure emotional security, to care for them in a loving way and promote them in every possible manner. In short to confer on these children an education that enables them to take up responsibility for their own lives and find their own way around in society."

"For over 50 years the friends of the Swiss children’s village Kiryat Yearim have cared with the same enthusiasm for the children living in the Swiss village and supported Kiryat Yearim with very substantial financial means. Besides the usual contributions to the operating costs and the normal summer repairs of the buildings and the funding of all the extra programs being held outside the school curriculum, we have during the last few years made new plans for the dormitories and renovated and rebuilt them completely."

"We wish most heartily to all the children taken care of by Youth Aliyah health, happiness and success and to Youth Aliyah itself all the very best imaginable for every body in charge and working for the children and at the same time we would like to thank them for their longstanding fruitful cooperation."

As part of the close relations between the Swiss Committee and Youth Aliyah, Eli Amir was in Switzerland last November to update the Committee on the latest developments at Kiryat Yearim.

Shvat 5764 - February 2004