ICEJ donates funds for children’s activity packs for 100 families

By: Laurina Driesse

Situated just north of the beautiful historical Mediterranean town of Caesarea, is the coastal town of Jisr az-Zirka, a small fisherman’s village which is home to around 15,000 Israeli Arabs and some Bedouin.

Considered among the poorest Arab communities in Israel, with unemployment being magnified especially during this time of Coronavirus, many of those living in this town live below the poverty line, even struggling to obtain the basic essentials needed in life.

With the Coronavirus running rampant throughout Israel, and extended lockdown periods hindering children from attending school or day care facilities, the ICEJ was approached to urgently help this community. The need was to provide activity packs for young children forced to stay home and maintain social distancing. Relying on the social welfare department to determine the families in need, the ICEJ recently had the opportunity of donating funds for children’s activity packs for 100 families in Jisr az-Zirka.

Volunteers helped in distributing the activity packs to families where thrills of excitement shrieked through the air as the children jumped for joy at receiving their packs. Bags filled with creative goodies, educational items, and interactive activity materials, are sure to keep these young children – and even older family members — entertained while keeping boredom at bay during the lockdown periods, which even at present, continue with schools and businesses closed.

In addition, as part of our mandate to encourage reconciliation between the various communities throughout Israel, the ICEJ is pleased to sponsor the “Good Neighbors Network” – a collaboration of Jews and Bedouins who dream up and facilitate joint projects for the benefit of both communities. Throughout the crisis, this network provided the essential framework for thousands of Bedouins living in unrecognized villages in the Eastern Negev to receive government distributed food packages and essential health information. As Debbie Golan, a member of the network shared with us, “Thank you so much! Your support strengthened our network and was (and is) critical for the aid to get to where it was most urgently needed. Without it, these Bedouin families simply would not have received essential help. We were there at the right time and the right place. Neither community would have succeeded in carrying out this project on their own.”

The ICEJ is so grateful for your donation support, which enable us to make a difference to the lives of all sectors of Israeli society. Please continue to help us impact the lives of others.