Ten-year-old Temimah Pilichowski of Los Angeles (Center), surrounded by her friends Amanda Melamed (Far Left), Tali Schlacht and Kayla Jacobitz (Far Right), sold lemonade
to help children whose lives were uprooted because of the Carmel Fire.

January 11, 2011 / 6 Shvat 5771

When the fire from the Carmel mountains in the North of Israel raged this past December, killing 44 people and devastating an estimated 10,000 acres of forest and about four million trees, one little girl in California wanted to help.

Ten-year-old Temimah Pilichowski, the daughter of Aliza and Rabbi Uri Pilichowski of Los Angeles, set up a lemonade stand and raised $71 that she donated to the Jewish Agency for Israel to help victims of the fire.

In the aftermath of the fire, the Jewish Agency worked hard to make sure all the children who were evacuated from their homes were safe and received proper respite. They also planned many activities and day trips to take the children's minds off of their worries and fears.

With the support of donors like Temimah, as well as the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Agency organized trips to amusement parks and other activities for nearly 4,500 children and youth whose lives were disrupted by the evacuations.

For 17-year-old Eish Yemini, a student at the Mekif Dati Ariel High School in Tirat Hacarmel, the day at the Lunapark revived them.  "It is freeing from all the pressure we've endured," he said. "This gives us all the power and strength and energy we need to continue."