The World Zionist Organization’s cultural activities for residents in northern and southern Israel include the Animix Festival for the residents of Kiryat Shemonah – an exciting day of festive, fun activities and pampering treats for all.
A Moroccan Festival was organized for residents of Dovev and Avivim as well the Kiryat Shemonah and Sderot evacuees presently accommodated in Tiberias. A children’s show, entitled “The Wolf and the Lamb” was performed at Moshav Zemora in the Upper Galilee. In addition, a circus performance was arranged for residents from the Eshkol Regional Council area; Chicololo,” a children’s show, was produced for Shlomi residents living in Tiberias; another highlight was a performance of “The Giant’s Garden” for evacuees from Maaleh Yosef, at the Alma Hotel in Zichron Yaakov. Other performances included: “Children’s Songs by Famous Poets,” in the Mevo’ot HaHermon Regional Council area; “The Land of Oz,” performed by the Goshen Theater, for evacuees from Shtula and Me’ona.
The end-of-year “Village to Village Bike Ride” has concluded a year of intense activity. The event was organized by the new community cycling clubs for teenagers established as a partnership project between the World Zionist Organization and the “Bartali Youth in Movement” Foundation, with a view to creating a stable interim framework for teenagers and children of kibbutzim communities who were evacuated from the western Negev region and providing a response to their needs.
This partnership project, launched in conjunction with the Israel Association of Community Centers and intended for people with special needs who had been evacuated to hotels along with the general population, has now drawn to a close. The initiative was launched in December 2023, with the realization that there was a major service shortfall in the response to evacuees with special needs residing in hotels, in terms of leisure time programming. It necessitated a process of identifying and locating the people with special needs across the various age cohorts and a wide range of functional levels and creating leisure programs tailored to their preferences. The various programs were then facilitated by young counselors with experience in delivering special needs programs. Some of the activities were opened to the community as a whole, so as to leverage an important opportunity for interaction and integration between the special needs and non-special needs population. The project has underscored the immense importance of and tangible demand for an umbrella leisure framework capable of providing for people with special needs, particularly in emergency situations.
The number of participants on the World Zionist Organization’s joint program with "My Wave" has already passed the 1,200 mark. To date, there are 96 groups at 10 centers, serving teenage participants from Kfar Aza, Nahal Oz, Netiv Ha’asarah, Kfar Silver, Nitzanim, Carmiyah, Patish, Ashkelon, Hagoshrim, Nir Am, Gevim, She’ar Yishuv, Kadarim, Lehavot Habashan, Metsivah, Or Haner, Bror Hayil, Alumim, and Miflatim, as well as Nova Festival survivors. In a survey carried out as part of the program, 92% of participants indicated that the instructors foster a sense of security, 80% responded that surfing as part of "My Wave" is helping them deal with this rocky period in their lives, and that they find the activity very meaningful. The program has also helped them disassociate from negative or traumatic memories.
Activity Program for Members of Kibbutz Nirim – Members of the Kibbutz Nirim community visited Mount Herzl for a tour in the footsteps of Zionism, taking in the Mount Herzl Park and the Herzl Museum. This was a hands-on learning experience about the legacy of Binyamin Zeev Herzl, the visionary of the State of Israel, and the contribution to Israel made by Zionist leaders laid to rest in the cemetery park. The Mt. Herzl visit was one of a series of events in the ‘Kibbutz Nirim Touring Zionism on the Way Home’ project, which has taken kibbutz Nirim members to various sites around Israel over the course of the past months. This purpose-built program was introduced by the Head of Department for Social Activism and Tikkun Olam to help the kibbutz members preserve their sense of community and bolster their resilience during their rehabilitation process, in the wake of the October 7 massacre and evacuation from their homes.
The Zionist Council in Israel organized a unique Purim happening for evacuees from Israel’s northern moshavim living as guests of Kibbutz Ein Harod. The event was extremely successful, with fun activities for children and fantastic inflatables as well as a wonderful spread of food and drink.
As part of a joint initiative, developed by the World Zionist Organization in conjunction with the “Bartali – Youth in Movement” Foundation, it has been possible to enable the continuation of the community cycling clubs on a regular basis for teenagers evacuated from Kibbutz Beeri and Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
The Zionist Council in Israel has sustained its connections with the main centers where displaced evacuees from northern Israel and the Gaza border region are still in temporary accommodation. This week, senior residents in the Tel Aviv hotels enjoyed a lecture by Tal Bashan, whose riveting address afforded them an opportunity for some time out and enrichment.
150 residents from the Gaza border communities went on a walking retreat designed to reinforce the close-knit bonds of the community, which has a long-standing tradition of building resilience through walking tours. This is part of a program to help rebuild their sense of community and shared identity based on Zionist values while they are still displaced from their own homes and in a period of transition, which presents challenge and hardship. This project was developed by the World Zionist Organization and the group will be touring and trekking around other locations over the course of the next two months. A day out at Mt. Herzl, with a full activity program on Zionism, is also scheduled.
A joint project by the World Zionist Organization with the “Bartali - Youth in Movement” Foundation has established three community cycling clubs for children and teenagers evacuated from the western Negev kibbutz communities after the October 7 atrocities, in order to help create temporary stability during displacement and provide a response to their needs. The project provides an educational cycling program that integrates trained therapists into groups of cyclists on an ongoing basis. It is significantly enhanced by the community’s strong commitment to the initiative – in fact, they have adopted the cycling club as part of their shared narrative of developing resilience through enjoyable and challenging activity. To date, cycling clubs have been created for the communities of Beeri, Erez and Nachal Oz.
Touring Zionism on the Way Home” – The members of Kibbutz Nirim, who were evacuated to Eilat following the black Shabbat of October 7, will be joining a discovery tour through the Eilat mountains before moving to their temporary accommodation at an urban kibbutz in Beersheba. As part of this World Zionist Organization project, kibbutz members will tour additional sites over the coming months and will also be invited to a day of Zionist programming at Mt. Herzl. The first outing in the series will be an integral part of the kibbutz members’ rehabilitation process since their evacuation. The tours in this series form part of a framework designed to help the kibbutznikim conserve a sense of community, through insuring continuity for their long-standing tradition of group outings, which serve to strengthen communal resilience. The program will help rebuild community cohesion and their shared identity around Zionist values; it comes at a juncture, when they are contending both with displacement from their kibbutz homes and an extremely challenging phase of transition.
The Zionist Council in Israel continues to provide helpful leisure and break activities for families evacuated from their homes and communities in Israel’s south-western border region and northern Israel. This week, the slew of activities organized included: lectures for adults and seniors on a range of topics; a compelling talk for evacuees in Beer Yaakov, by guest speaker Tal Bashan; an informative lecture on current affairs, by Yair Cherki of Israel Channel 12 News. Another week of varied children’s and youth activities took place at many of the hotels. One feature activity was an encounter with the female star of “Shakshuka” - a children’s show on “Kan-Education” (public broadcasting) TV.
The project in partnership with the Israel Association of Community Centers continues to develop leisure and enrichment activities for evacuees with special needs, presently residing in the different hotels, who had not previously been included in programming provisions; the framework covers all age groups and disability categories.
The Herzl Center has opened its doors and has special opportunities for the evacuees. The center hosts many evacuees from all over the country - fully funded by the center - and even takes care of their transportation to the site at no cost.
As part of a cooperation with the Zionist Council in Israel, evacuees from the city of Kiryat Shmona, who were evacuated to various hotels in Jerusalem since the beginning of the war, arrived at the museum this week for an experiential tour of the museum and Mount Herzl, where they got to hear and get to know the state contract, Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl.
The Zionist Council in Israel continues to assist in respite activities for families who are evacuated from their homes in the Gaza Envelope and the north.
Among the many events held this week were lectures for the older audiences and the elderly on different and diverse topics. There were also various surprising activities for the children and teenagers who have been staying at hotels - magicians, clowns, children's shows, many different workshops and a spectacular juggling show by a stunt artist, which took place at the Setai Hotel on the shores of the Kinneret where evacuees from northern settlements are staying.
The World Zionist Organization and the Society for Community Centers have created leisure and enrichment activities for people with disabilities of all ages and all kinds of disabilities, who are among the evacuees in the various hotels and are sorely lacking activities that are suited to them.
These people and their families have a harder time than others with the disruption in their structure and the lack of appropriate activities for them in the hotels.
Respite activities run by the Zionist Council in Israel are held continuously for evacuees all over the country.
This weeks activities included performances by magicians and clowns and children's shows for kids from Sde Uziah and Achuzat Yarden, a performance by a balloon artist in Bat Yam and the Galilee, a craft and watercolor workshop in Mitzpe Ramon and a comics workshop in Tel Aviv run by students who received a scholarship for their work.
Furthermore, the distribution of board games and toys for children continues throughout the country.
The Kerem El Preparatory School in Daliyat al-Karmel in cooperation with the Zionist Council hosted groups of hundreds of evacuees from the northern settlements in central Druze areas such as Daliyat al-Karmel, Julis and Kfar Kama.
In these difficult days, the special covenant of life with the Druze society takes on new validity. The Zionist Council in Israel is constantly working - even in ‘normal’ days - to deepen the connection and mutual acquaintance between the Jewish and the Druze societies.
As a part of the "Daliyat al-Karmel Embracing with Love" project, the evacuees conducted tours of the city, the market and other central places.
In addition, they visited the Zionist Council of Israel’s Kerem El Preparatory School and got to know the Druze community and culture and their strong connection to the people of Israel.
The tours included activities for children and the best pastries and delicacies from Druze cuisine.
The Zionist Council in Israel continues its respite activities for the families evacuated from their homes from the southern and northern settlements.
This week, among the many events, sessions, lectures and workshops that were held for children and teenagers, including a lecture and workshop by Michaela Ron (star of the youth series "Shakshuka"), special events were held for evacuees in Herzliya and Be'er Ya'akov.
Creative and nurturing workshops for women and men were held such as drumming and music circles as well as children's plays and a cartoon illustration activity.
For the older audience currently residing at Mitzpe Ramon, there were enriching lectures, among them an instructive lecture on "financial management during a crisis."
In honor of the holiday of Chanukah, the Zionist Council in Israel produced a creative activity for the children of the evacuees, making colorful Chanukah candles and designing Chanukah menorahs with the inscription "together we will win." The activity was held at several centers and gave the children a moment of respite and activity that conveyed the message that precisely in this complex time and in the darkness, we celebrate the holiday of lights and we are full of anticipation for the light to come.
The Zionist Council in Israel, in cooperation with the Herzl Center, has organized a day of experiential tours for families of evacuees. Evacuees from the city of Kiryat Shmona and the city of Metula, who were evacuated from the beginning of the fighting to various hotels in Jerusalem, went on a tour of the museum and Mount Herzl, where they got to hear and know the state's contract, Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl.
The Zionist Council in Israel provides respite activities to families evacuated from their homes from the Gaza Envelope settlements and the northern settlements. This week, among the multitude of events, there were drumming circles, creative workshops, and a caricature drawing activity. In addition, an inflatable event and gymboree was held in honor of Chanukah for the Eshkol region evacuees at Kibbutz Sapir and a large Chanukah event with a variety of booths and a juggling show was held in Yerucham. There were macrame workshops, a performance by the comedian Yossi Vider and a morning event in Kfar Tavor for the adults.
Nov 29th 2023 - December 5th 2023
From the heroes of the Maccabees to the heroes of today, survivors of the horrific events will tell their heroic stories directly to various communities worldwide, thereby giving a face and identity to the disaster. The project, which begins with the first candle of Chanukah, and takes place among the Jewish communities in the USA, Europe and Latin America, will deepen the connection and mutual support of the Jewish people.
The Shaar HaNegev football tournament was held with groups from Kfar Gaza, Maflisim, Nachal Oz, Erez, Yachini and other groups from the kibbutzim and moshavim around Gaza. In addition, the "FUNZONE" complex was available simultaneously, which included unique football inflatables and many interesting booths such as candy and popcorn stands for the children of the surrounding communities. The winner of the tournament was the Kibbutz Gavim group, whose victory was dedicated to the victims of the war, to the soldiers and civilian victims and the hostages who are still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Zionist Council and the Kerem El Preparatory School in Daliyat al-Karmel hosted groups of evacuees from Metula, Tirat Carmel and other northern settlements neighboring popular central Druze villages such as Daliyat al-Karmel, Julis and Kfar Kama. In these difficult days, the special covenant of life with the Druze society takes on new meaning. As a part of this project, the evacuees conducted tours of the city, the market and other central places. In addition, they visited the "Kerem El" preparatory school of the Zionist Council in Israel and got to experience the Druze community and culture in depth and their strong connection to the people of Israel. The tours included activities for children and the best pastries and delicacies from the Druze cuisine.
Among the multitude of events, an event was held in collaboration with the Israeli Police in honor of the children evacuated in Ein Charod Ichud and Nir David. Children's star Tal Mosari was a part of the event as well. During the event there were also food stalls and extreme activities for children with police and firefighting drills. In addition, commemorative bracelets were distributed by the World Zionist Organization - “in their memory, for their return, for victory.” There were also various respite activities for the evacuees in Ma'alot, where a spectacular juggling show and workshop took place and at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv a fascinating "drumming circle" was done with the evacuees.
