Help Sderot

Summer Camp In Israel    

After School Program 
  
Clothes for Larisa's Family

On 3/04/2008 Russian Jewish Community Foundation (www.rjcf.com) and Green Horizons/Jewish National Fund launched a new and exciting joint project to benefit children of Sderot. The project's goal is to organize a summer camp for fifty children of Sderot in Jerusalem's mountains during the summer of 2008 and a winter camp in Negev during Chanukah vacation. Uzi Dayan, Chairman of Green Horizons, came to Boston to launch the project and to meet with members of the Russian Jewish Community of Boston. The meeting took place at the Russian School of Mathematics in Newton and was attended by forty members of the community. Last year Russian Jewish community of Boston brought twenty children from Sderot to camps in Massachusetts. The relationship with children, the besieged city, and the Russian Jewish community of Boston did not stop with the summer; in the fall of 2007 RJCF with the help of its American Jewish partners (BIAC, Zionist House) built in Sderot a safe child room (a bomb shelter where children can play and learn). Since the school year is frequently interrupted because of the security situation after school programs are especially important to keep children occupied and educated. RJCF is working now on such an after school program. RJCF and Green Horizons were introduced to each other by Zionist House -- a partner and early supporter of RJCF. Greg Margolin, member of RJCF's board of directors, called the partnership with JNF a match made in heaven. During the meeting, Uzi Dayan talked about his frequent visits to Sderot -- he is there at least once a week, about the need to address problem with education and poverty in Israel simultaneously with the security issues. He expressed his gratitude to the Russian Jewish Community. The meeting was very warm and had a feeling of a family event. Sharon Davidovich, representative of JNF in New England updated the audience about the details of the project. RJCF plans to raise $75,000 for the project. Donations are welcome and can be sent to the address of RJCF -- Russian Jewish Community Foundation,1674 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02445, or through the web site www.rjcf.com