Dear friends,
I would like to share with you the last update regarding an intense and emotional event I was blessed to witness.
As you already know, Shalem dedicates 1/3 of the total funds raised to the IDFWO, our partner organization in Israel. One of the organization's flagship programmes are the Otzma (strength) camps for bereaved children. This year was special, as the camp took place in the midst of the war with Hamas and Hezbollah, during extremely tense days when Israel is facing the unknown with no sense of its end.
300 orphans ages 6-18, most of whom lost their fathers in the current war, some accompanied by their mothers caring for younger siblings, all together they embarked on an experience filled with laughter, games and fun activities intended to provide the children with a so much needed break from the severe reality. More importantly, the Otzma camps are there for the orphans to connect with their peers surrounded by IDFWO's attentive staff and a great number of volunteers, some of whom are IDF orphans themselves. In this environment, the children regain a sense of "normality" as they enjoy the company of those who share the same destiny.
In these emotional days, I was fortunate to witness the incredible task that the IDFWO has taken upon themselves in line with our shared Biblical values of caring for the widows and orphans, I was taken aback by the incredible display of strength, pride, resilience and the unbreakable desire to live. I was humbled because here I could fully comprehend the meaning behind "Am Israel chai".
I would like to share some of the most special encounters. I met a baby born 5 months after his father's heroic death, youngest child in a family of 4 siblings. I saw a girl, whose father's body is, until this day, held in Gaza since October 7th. I met Tamar, an orphan herself and "a graduate" of our Young Leadership Seminar in Prague in 2019, now a camp leader, who embraced her orphaned niece and nephew as their mentor in the organization this year. I met a woman, who has been an IDF orphan for the most of her life and became a widow herself in the current war. These are only a handful of stories of those, who each represent a world of itself.
The participants of the camp remind us of the incredible diversity of the people of Israel. Children of all possible backgrounds including secular, religious, Ethiopian, Druze, Arab, all proudly representing the faces of Israel and the heroic service of their fathers, who paid the highest price when defending the country they loved.
I also met three orphans who joined us for our Prague Young Leadership Seminar in Prague in 2019. All of whom became volunteer camp leaders, dedicating their love to those who found themselves in the same situation they experienced after their beloved parent's passing.
In conclusion, would like to quote Revital, a truly inspiring woman, who became a widow on October 7th after her husband Lior fell while defending the moshav they lived in. "IDFWO is an organization I trust, and I know they will be there for me and my children forever."
With your generous help, Shalem raised funds to sponsor 100 orphans to join this year's Otzma camp. Please consider donating to Shalem so we can continue to help the IDFWO in their unparalleled efforts.
Toda,
Anna
