November 2, 2023
Shalom friends,
We want to continue sharing with you what we have been doing in the Ramat HaNegev in these ever-changing days. Our experiences range from profound hope, inspired by the spirit of unity and mutual support, to enduring sadness and pain.
Each day, we conduct a thorough situation assessment to enhance and tailor our services to meet the needs of the 2000 evacuees in our care. Our goal is to offer them the genuine comfort of a real home.
Simultaneously, we are in the process of integrating the hundreds of new students into our educational system, encompassing kindergartens and schools. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive range of emotional and psychological treatments to all evacuees.
Understanding that this will be an extended period of support, we are committed to making a wide array of services available to the evacuees: this includes access to public washing machines and dryers, an outdoor kitchen where they can prepare their meals independently, without being solely reliant on the dining room. We also host separate conversation circles for women and men and organize recreational activities such as plays and psychodrama.
The agricultural sector, which provides livelihoods for nearly a third of the households in our community, has been severely affected as a result of many farmers being called up for duty in Gaza. Additionally, hundreds of agricultural workers have left the country. To address this, we mobilize a group of volunteers. In cases where accommodation and meals are required for the numerous volunteers who come to assist, we provide the necessary support.
Amidst all these activities, today we are mourning the loss of another young man from our community, who fell in the battle in Gaza just two days ago. May the memory of St. Roi Sargosti Z"L be blessed. Words are insufficient to express the depth of our pain, yet our unwavering commitment remains; we continue to care for one another.
There is much work still ahead of us, but we nurture and reinforce a spirit of togetherness. We encourage everyone to contribute and be active, which, in turn, strengthens the sense of belonging and personal and community resilience.
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support and assistance from afar. We can almost physically feel your embrace, and it provides us with tremendous strength during these challenging days.
Yours,
Eran Doron.