Legacies will help uprooted families flourish again
NIR OZ Is a kibbutz less than 7km from the Gaza border, with a population of 420 residents. It is typical of many of the small communities dotted over the Gaza envelope that were established as an alternative communal lifestyle to that of the bustling overcrowded centre of Israel. The atrocities on October 7, resulting in the tragic loss of 46 members of this kibbutz and more than 70 being taken hostage, saw the community suffer extensive damage to buildings and the destruction of homes, many burnt to the ground.
In response to the dire need for relocating the displaced survivors, JNF UK has assisted families in moving into temporary accommodation in Carmei Gat for an estimated three-year period, during which the kibbutz aims to rebuild and prepare for the homecoming of its residents. JNF UK has helped provide fully furnished apartments to make the difficult transition more comfortable. It was important to ensure that communities who lived together in Nir Oz moved together, to feel they are living among their “wider family”. Among the evacuees is the wife and three children of Sagui Dekel-Chen. Sagui is a treasured member of the JNF UK Israel team and has been held hostage since October 7. JNF UK will continue to support the displaced families of Nir Oz as long they need its help.
Towards the southern point of the Gaza border lies Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. Having weathered a series of crises including wars, terrorist infiltrations and indiscriminate rocket attacks over many years, Kibbutz Kerem Shalom was in desperate need of regeneration. JNF UK offered vital support to the community with hundreds of volunteers giving buildings and the community centre a makeover. Tragically on October 7, our work was destroyed. Families have been forced to move to an old leadership training campus in Ashalim, south of Be’ersheba. The facility is basic and JNF UK has equipped a much-needed trailer with washing machines and dryers, as the living space inside is too small. It is planning a DIY programme to enhance the outdoor space with seating areas and pergolas to make living there more like home.
Since October 7, 200 Israeli youth from a JNF UK sponsored leadership programme in the Negev have been volunteering to make a difference to the war effort and to help those who have been called up. Youngsters have picked fruit and vegetables and worked in the olive groves so the crops don’t go to waste. Children from displaced families have had to join new schools and their education has been severely disrupted through trauma and absence. Learning centres have been set up and volunteers run after-school activities, help with homework and sports events. These provide vital respite for mothers whose husbands are on reserve duty.
We at JNF UK are immensely proud of the young men and women of this
JNF is creating an umbrella of services for the victims of terror
programme who have stepped up in a most mature and sensitive manner.
JNF UK’s project Yad Tamar is a cancer support organisation which has adapted to transform the lives of those most affected by the attacks. Its Hug model is now being used for people who have been severely traumatised by the events of October 7, including Nova Festival survivors and families from the Negev towns of Sderot and Ofakim whose relatives were brutally killed. By creating circles of help and support networks and an umbrella of services for the victims of terror, JNF UK’s hope is that this will ease the physical and psychological pain that its users are experiencing.
Much of the funding JNF UK is able to provide these projects is thanks to the generosity of KKL clients who support the work of the charity through legacies. Legacies are the lifeline that enables JNF UK to continue its vital mission to make a difference to communities in the Negev.
JNF UK is acutely aware that there is still a huge effort to be made to rebuild and transform the lives of those communities that were destroyed.
The job has begun but it will be an evolving work in progress that JNF UK will see through. Israel faces many challenges in the months ahead and JNF UK will be on hand to help build our country as we have done for more than 100 years.
Legacies are the lifeline that makes a difference