July 8, 2007

Shalom from Jerusalem

It's hard to believe that it's summer time again. Even though the great majority of us work year-round, summer still represents a sort of freedom, a release from the tensions of the rest of the year, and an opportunity to kick back, enjoy the sunshine, relax, travel, and just have some good, old-fashioned fun. I can't help but spoil my kids with trips to the beach and, of course, ice cream bars, which seem to be sold on almost every Israeli street corner.

This summer is a historic one for Canada Israel Experience (CIE) which operates out of our UIA Canada office, as it is our busiest summer yet. Over 2,000 Canadian students and teens will be visiting Israel this summer on CIE trips, discovering their roots and falling in love with our beautiful little country for the first time.

Many of our birthright groups participate in volunteer projects in their partnership regions. Just last month, at the initiative of David Goodman, a birthright participant from Toronto, a basketball court was built in the Rehovot neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe. It was amazing to see the personal connections and the enthusiasm from Canadian visitors and Kiryat Moshe locals alike, and it was particularly moving to see the incredible difference a single young person with vision and commitment could make on an entire community.

In parallel to our efforts to bring youth to Israel from abroad, we are also funding summer opportunities for local youth. UIA Emergency Campaign funds are supporting summer camps for 1,200 youth from Sderot. These summer camps are being operated by our partners at the Jewish Agency, the Society for the Protection of Nature, and the Reut Association.

But at 7:45 this morning, all our hearts stopped. The siren warning of an incoming Kassam missile attack sounded just as the buses full of children started to pull out of Sderot. Fortunately, this time the rockets missed their target, and did not fall within the city. The kids safely left for the day. We will not let Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his friends ruin another summer for our children. Throughout the summer, they will continue to enjoy their summer break as they participate in nature activities and visit water parks and amusement parks outside of Sderot.

As summer rolls around again, I can't help but think back to where we were just one year ago. A year has passed, and still, three of Israel's boys still are not able to kick back and enjoy the gifts of summer. We haven't forgotten Gilad, Ehud and Eldad, and they remain in our hearts and our prayers. We continue to hope and pray that by next summer, they will again be able to enjoy the warmth of summer and the comforts of home.

May this summer be a summer of peace, relaxation and joy for our children, and for all of Israel.

Yossi

MIA Countdown (as of July 8th):
Gilad Shalit: 1 year, 13 days
Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev: 360 days missing