Yad L'Achim Launches Summer Camp to Strengthen Jewish Identity of Rescued Children from Arab Villages

Yad L'Achim is preparing to launch a special summer camp for children recently rescued from Arab villages. The camp will take place in a large, luxurious villa in northern Israel, specially rented and adapted for this purpose. During the camp, the children will participate in trips, social bonding activities, and extensive Jewish educational content aimed at reinforcing their Jewish identity.

The organization emphasizes that the camp’s primary goal is to strengthen the Jewish identity of these children, who face significant challenges due to their complex personal backgrounds. Having grown up in hostile Arab environments, these children previously only spoke Arabic and were immersed in a different cultural mindset. The camp, named "Equal Group," is designed to help them embrace their true identity as members of the Jewish people.

A veteran social worker at Yad L'Achim explained that many of these children feel the need to hide their identity in their new surroundings, fearing that peers might discover their family backgrounds. The camp provides a safe space where they can openly discuss their traumas and past experiences. She recounted a moment from a previous year when a child expressed relief upon realizing he could freely talk about his background with others.

In addition to supporting the children, the camp offers respite to the single mothers who were also rescued in heroic operations from the villages. These mothers face dual challenges in adapting to new lives and raising their children, and the camp allows them time for rest while their children are engaged.

The camp’s program includes visits to an amusement park, boat rides on the Sea of Galilee, trips to the graves of righteous figures, and enrichment groups. It is led by Rabbis Yoav Robinson and Chaim Kahn, along with a motivated team of counselors. A separate, parallel camp for rescued girls will be held two weeks later. Yad L'Achim expresses confidence that, with divine help, the children will return empowered and enriched, ready to continue their journey with ongoing support throughout the year.