The Ministry of Social Welfare and Social Security and the Jewish Agency's Fund for Victims of Terrorism have formulated a special initiative for children and teenagers who have returned from captivity and children from kidnapped families, which includes dedicated programs for summer vacations and holidays - fully funded by the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Jewish Agency.
The project will begin in early August with the end of the first round of summer camps and is expected to continue until the end of the Tishrei holidays. It is intended for children and youth aged 6-18 who have returned from captivity, and for children whose family members are still abducted in the Gaza Strip, including children from the wider family circles.
The planned activities are intended to provide stability even when they are not in educational settings, and to continue the rehabilitation process that the children and youth began during the past year, through leisure and respite activities. This is alongside activities initiated together with children from the peer group and with a significant figure accompanying them.
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All of these are supposed to serve as an inclusive and supportive framework for the children, with close supervision by social workers.
Among the planned activities: a camp for children from families with children aged 6-12, which will be held in a mobile format, where each day the children will visit a different experiential place, and in addition, a surfing workshop lasting several days for teenagers from these families. This is in addition to monthly respite days intended for children who prefer to take part in peak activities with their peer group rather than in a camp setting.
The content development and operation of the Truce Days system will be carried out by the Jewish Agency's Fund for Victims of Terrorism, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The activity days will include routine-breaking activities such as extreme sports, cultural events, leisure, and more. All activities will be accompanied by an educational team that specializes in working with children who have suffered trauma.
Minister of Welfare and Social Security, Yaakov Margi: "This is an important and welcome initiative that will provide the children of the families of the abductees and returnees with relief and support during the period when they are not in educational settings, in order to cope with the difficulty and trauma they experience every day, and provide them with stability and continued treatment, with close support from social workers from the ministry. This important initiative joins the close support and social assistance that the Ministry of Welfare has been providing since the outbreak of the war to the families of the abductees and returnees.
""We will continue to work and develop solutions for the families of the abductees and returnees, hoping and praying that we will see them all return home as soon as possible. I would like to thank the Jewish Agency for its mobilization and partnership for the safety and well-being of the families of the abductees and returnees. This testifies once again to the mutual guarantee of the Jewish people in Israel and in the Diaspora.".
Chairwoman of the Jewish Agency's Fund for Victims of Terrorism Ayelet Nachmias and Rabin: "For years, the fund has been operating special camps for children who are victims of terrorism, which are held especially in August, to provide a response during a time when there are no educational frameworks.".
""Due to the scale of children affected by terrorism since 7/10 and the populations that suffered unbearable pain, such as the families of the kidnapped and the returnees, we at the Jewish Agency Foundation, which operates with the support of Jewish communities around the world, decided to combine efforts with the professional capabilities of the Ministry of Social Affairs, in order to create a much more significant impact for the families and children. Together, we seek to envelop the children with love and tell them that they are not alone.".
