January 13, 2009 / 17 Tevet, 5769

Participants of the Selah program in Beer Sheva visited wounded soldiers in the city’s Soroka Hospital, in order to offer support and encouragement.

Inga Barazovski, director of the Jewish Agency's Altschul Absorption Center in Beer Sheva, along with Oshrit Ben-Shushan, the center’s cultural activities coordinator, went with 10 Selah students to visit soldiers who were wounded during battle in the Gaza Strip.  The students brought the soldiers packages with letters written by the children, youth and employees of the Jewish Agency, wishing them a speedy recovery..

The soldiers and their parents were touched by the visit.  A number of soldiers were Russian-speaking, and their parents told the young visitors how proud they were that their sons serve in the IDF.  Oshrit Ben-Shushan described how the parents’ comments increased the youngsters’ desire to serve in the IDF.

The soldiers’ parents expressed their feelings of gratitude to the organization.

Some of the students who visited the soldiers decided to donate blood as they left the hospital.