Youth Aliyah student digs into Jewish history at an archeological summer camp.

Contributions from Youth Aliyah’s friends around the world as well as a special allocation from the UJC Israel Emergency Campaign enabled hundreds of Israeli youngsters to spend some of their summer in educational camps. This not only kept them off the streets, involved in constructive activities during these dangerous times, but also offered free food and accommodation when many parents of Youth Aliyah students are struggling to make ends meet. The camps were run in a highly professional way and stressed fun and learning and prepared students for the coming year.

For the second successive summer Kiryat Yearim held an archeological summer camp for 70 students at Sussita in Northern Israel. With funding from the Swiss Committee and in cooperation with the University of Haifa, the Galilee summer camp revolved around hard work in excavating ancient artifacts and raised awareness about Jewish history. Other summer camps held by Kiryat Yearim included a Science Summer Camp in cooperation with the Hebrew University’s Belmonte Laboratories, a camp in the Ben Shemen Forest with the Israel Scouts Association, and a camp at Kibbutz Ginossar together with the Kibbutz Movement. Funding for these camps was received from the Syracuse Jewish Federation and UJC Israel Emergency Campaign.

Another group of Kiryat Yearim teenagers attended a summer camp at Nitzana also funded by UJC Israel Emergency Campaign. Ten children from Kiryat Yearim traveled to Switzerland for 11 days in the summer courtesy of Swiss Airlines. In Switzerland the students were hosted by the Swiss Committee, a long-time supporter of Kiryat Yearim.

At Hadassah Neurim the campus was used by Magen David Adom for its annual summer camp program as well as for other organizations. With funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, a summer camp was held at Hadassah Neurim for disadvantaged children from Petah Tikvah’s Dado and Yoseftal neighborhoods.

Nitzana had a busy season of summer camps hosting hundreds of children and youth from the development towns of the Negev who took the village’s trademark “Science in the Desert” programs. UJC Israel Emergency Campaign as well as the SACTA-RASHI Foundation funded these camps.

Heshvan 5764 - November 2003