Yad Le’Achim Organizes Camp For 60 Jewish Children Of Arabs, Including 9 Rescued From Gaza

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — More than 60 Jewish children whose fathers are Arabs and who were rescued in the last few years from Arab villages participated in special summer camps organized by the Yad Le’Achim organization at a large location in northern Israel. The camp included lawns, swimming pools, trampolines, playgrounds and other amenities and was split into separate sections for boys and girls.

After a year in which there was no possibility of a camp due to coronavirus, the present camp is designed to welcome the children and give them a feeling of family and belonging which they often lack.

One of the campers, 16-year-old Yosef, was rescued from Ramallah with his mother and sister just two and a half weeks ago. In the camp he put on Tefillin for the first time in his life with all the staff and children celebrating his bar mitzva joyously. Moreover, Yad Le’Ahim stressed that 9 of the children participating in the camp had been rescued from the Gaza strip in the last decade and had returned to Jewish tradition and are studying in Torah frameworks.

Two other children, who were rescued recently with their mother from a Bedouin village in the Negev, initially refused to join in activities, declaring the whole time that “we are Muslims”. After two days in which Yad Le’Ahim counsellors spoke to them and tried to encourage them to connect to their Jewish roots, sometimes speaking in Arabic, the two relented and joined in the activities, including religious activities.

The children enjoyed trips, bicycle routes, parks and other amenities. The girls performed separation of Chalah and also celebrated a bat mitzva for three of the girls together with a religious female singer. At the end of the camp the children found it hard to leave. Every one of them came to the counsellors and thanked them for the camp, stating that they will never forget their experiences there.