A break from reality

Sderot kids visit America for the summer

By Daniella Adler

[wp_caption id="attachment_68" align="aligncenter" width="470" caption="Sderot children pose at JFK after landing Wednesday to attend Gan Israel day camps on the East Coast. (Photo by Shon Eylon)"][/wp_caption]

Seventy children from Sderot, ages 11 to 14, arrived at JFK International airport on Wednesday afternoon to spend the summer in America at Gan Israel Day Camp, away from the horror of daily missile attacks in Israel.

Sponsored mainly by the Chabad community, these children were offered a reprieve from the tense lifestyle in Sderot where, on most days, a barrage of missiles leaves children terrified of leaving their homes. One in three children in Sderot is affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, says the Sderotkids.org website.

The children were chosen by their school officials who received word from the Chabad rabbi in Sderot that the reprieve program would take place. Among the children selected were Salomon and Chanuka Yaakubov; each wears around their neck a picture of their father, killed by a Kassam rocket. Stav, a girl headed for the Gan Israel day camp in New Jersey, explained that most people have become accustomed to the constant danger.

"It's scary, but that's how life is," she explained.

At the airport, the group was greeted with bottled water, snacks and rousing guitar-led songs. They donned colored t-shirts with the logo of their destined Gan Israel camp, laughing and chatting with one another; one rabbi enveloped a young boy in a bear hug. Rabbi Baruch Chazonow addressed all the children, generating excitement for the upcoming summer.

They were truly excited to arrive in America, since most had never been here before, and they are particularly excited about seeing fireworks. Rabbi Chazanow explained that the original program did not include a fireworks show, since it would remind them of home, but when the children demanded to see them, Gan Israel modified their plans.

The project was a huge undertaking. Since Gan Israel is a day camp, arrangements for sleeping and overnight supervision were made. In Manalapan, New Jersey, the children reside in the houses of two community members. Events such as jewelry making and make-your-own-pizza night, hosted in the local pizza store, are planned to occupy the children when the Americans at Gan Israel have gone home for the day. Restaurants in Manhattan, including Mr. Broadway and Kosher Delight, have sponsored meals.

In Maryland, the children are situated in a similar two home arrangement. Other communities have rented apartments or paired the children to reside in multiple houses around the community. The Gan Israel branches in Maryland and New Jersey hired counselors from Kfar Chabad in Israel to chaperone the children from all the camps on their way to and from Israel. The other camps recruited bilingual counselors from their respective American communities.

George and Pamela Rohr, of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and Morris and Lillian Tobacinic of Florida largely covered the costs of flights and health insurance for the children. Moreover, each Chabad community raised money separately. All expenses included, the project will cost upward of $400,000 dollars.

The project was launched in 2007 with Rabbi Dan Rodkin, whose Massachusetts community sponsored 10 children to come to the Gan Israel of Boston. Following that success last year, Rabbi Rodkin contacted other Gan Israel camps to run a similar program this year.