Support Nahal Oz

To my utter regret, I'm writing under the most unfortunate circumstances - the war that is currently taking place in our beloved country, Israel. The atrocities that innocent civilians are being forced to endure are constantly being shown in the media: the barbaric attacks, the kidnappings, the deaths, the funerals. However it does not stop there, as survivors must somehow still lead a so-called "normal" life afterwards. I'm writing specifically to address the survivors of such heinous war crimes. On the morning of the 7th of October, which incidentally falls on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah and the fifty-year anniversary of the Yom Kippur war, countless Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli territory. One of the many places being Nahal Oz, a kibbutz located on the front line to Gaza. One can only begin to imagine what these citizens have been through, and for this exact reason the "The Meitarim Lachish" organization has stepped in. Meitarim Lachish is a leadership program situated in Israel in three different locations. One of these locations being Nahal Oz. The program in Nahal Oz was founded immediately after the "Tzuk Eitan" operation in an attempt to strengthen the residents of the Gaza strip after the horrors of Tzuk Eitan. During this operation, Daniel Tragerman, a four-year-old boy, was killed by a mortar shell fired from Gaza directly into his garden. As a result of this malicious act, 17 families fled Nahal Oz. The program felt it was their duty to support the residents that chose to stay and risk their lives. Today it is their mission to rebuild their life. The residents have been evacuated to a secure kibbutz in the North. However, they are living off of donations and whatever was retrieved from the atrocity. From October 10th, our Mechina trainees and graduates have been working diligently to create an educational environment for the children of Nahal Oz. This includes a range of activities and workshops aimed at restoring a healthy routine for the children of the Kibbutz. The path to rebuilding and reinforcing our community's resilience will be a long and difficult one, and we are fully committed to this program, not only for Nahal Oz but for the surrounding communities as well.  We need your support to restore optimism and hope and help prepare them for their return home:  Your donations will be allocated exclusively for implementing this program. Support Stage One: Assisting with educational activities, programming and providing supplies for the children of the Kibbutz who were evacuated to Mishmar HaEmek during the ongoing conflict.  We will purchase educational materials, organize trips for the children in order to alleviate anxiety, provide transportation for the mechina’s trainees, offer snacks and toys to the children, and invite artists and performers to give the children and parents a reprieve from the stress. Support Stage Two: Long-term support Anticipating that it will take several months for the residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz to return home due to the restoration process, we will stand by the Kibbutz members wherever they are  placed. We will continue to create community programming for children, youth and senior citizens, offering remedial activities. Finding accommodations and catering solutions for the program’s facilitators and trainees will be essential. During this time, we will renovate the Mechina’s buildings, which were damaged by missiles, to ensure our return to the Kibbutz.  Support Stage Three:  Returning home  Once the conflict ends, we fully intend to return to the Kibbutz. We expect our trainees will play an active role in designing and rebuilding public spaces, including community gardens and more.  We are so grateful to those who are supporting us and showing solidarity with Israel all around the world. Ironically, it is at difficult times like these when you can truly feel proud to be Jewish. Am yisrael chai!