There are so many immediate, pressing needs in Israel right now – equipment for our soldiers risking their lives on the front lines; clothing, housing, and other items for survivors of the attacks down south who lost their loved ones and their homes; providing emotional support for those in need, unexpected financial hardships… The list is seemingly endless.
As I’ve written in the past, the organization that I feel so very blessed to work for Village Way Educational Initiatives and Yemin Orde, the youth village where our offices are and with whom we are closely connected, are guided by a mission to ensure that Israel’s at-risk youth – whether they be teens in their high school years or young people preparing for military service – are given the tools they need to overcome challenging backgrounds and become productive members of society.
I wish I could say that these youths are not feeling the devastating impact of what’s happening here, but that simply isn’t the case. The educators, students, and their families in our partnering schools in the south are currently facing the harsh reality of daily rocket fire, damage to local infrastructure, and loss of lives in their communities.
Every day, I hear from colleagues about graduates and siblings of current students from our partnering schools around the country (including Yemin Orde) who have been killed, either during the terror attacks themselves or the subsequent fighting. Educators from these schools have lost loved ones as well. Graduates of our pre-military preparatory leadership program – young people from immigrant families and challenging environments who made a conscious decision to work hard to strive for a better future for themselves and their families – are proudly serving in the IDF. The lives of some of these graduates have been brutally cut short as well.
And my colleagues and I – and our American partners at ImpactIsrael – are doing what we can to ensure that educational communities and kids and the adults who guide them and care for them in Israel’s economic and social peripheries will be able to receive the assistance they need as a result of this incomprehensible, horrific war.
A recurring theme of the messages that I and so many of my friends and loved ones here keep seeing is the strong desire to help somehow. I’ve shared links to organizations doing critical work here as well as the incredible, selfless initiatives of friends and others – each one important. If you feel that you are able to help support at-risk youths whose lives are being directly impacted by what’s happening, I invite you to learn more about what you can do to help by clicking here.
