Shabbat Shalom,
As our only Israel trip that hit the ground this summer, our Tikkun Israel participants’ excitement was through the roof as they landed in Israel and prepared for 3 weeks of volunteer service.
This week, these incredible kids have been volunteering in Ofakim connecting with Israeli communities in unique ways. Ofakim has long-standing connections with Yahel, our partner for this trip.
From creating activities and connecting with local Israeli teens to hearing powerful personal stories about their experiences from October 7th, youth from across oceans fostered meaningful relationships and built a stronger link between the Jewish community as a whole.
Our teens also spent purposeful time packing food packages for residents and directly supporting families who have been displaced in Be’er Sheva. This is a formative experience that fosters an important connection between different communities in Israel and creates unity in places the world wants to see division.
Afterwards, the group ran fun, summer fair activities for local kids, bringing children and teens together and focusing on communities like Ofakim that are overlooked compared to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
Our itinerary for next week has experienced some changes due to the ongoing persecution of Syrian Druze citizens under the new Syrian regime, which has caused heartache and protests within the Israeli Druze community.
Out of respect for the grieving community and our unwavering commitment to participant safety and well-being, we believe it is best to postpone our planned volunteer work there until things calm down.
We hope we will be able to visit Shfar’am for the final days of next week to connect with the Druze teens who have been expecting to host us and work alongside them in their community.
Instead of spending the whole week (July 20-24th) in Shfar’am, we will spend Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday:
- volunteering at a local community garden in Haifa.
- working closely with senior citizens.
- creating a wall painting with a local artist at a youth risk center in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood.
Hopefully, by Wednesday and Thursday, we will be able to resume our original plan to be with the Druze community in Shfar’am.
We are so proud of what this trip has accomplished so far and cannot wait to see what it will bring in the following weeks.
