When Operation Roaring Lion began on February 28, the situation in Israel quickly escalated. Within days, the southern Israeli city of Dimona came under sustained bombardment by missiles from Iran. Sirens became a constant part of daily life, with the city’s 40,000 residents repeatedly forced to seek safety, often in public shelters rather than private safe rooms due to a large part of the population living in older buildings.
For the team at Youth Futures Dimona, this crisis meant they needed to increase their support for local children, building off their existing infrastructure that had been in place for nearly two decades. Knowing the Dimona community, having built trusted relationships and provided consistent guidance to vulnerable kids and their families, the presence of Youth Futures has been a lifeline.
Amir, 12, in seventh grade, has been part of Youth Futures for a few months now, having joined before the war. With challenges at home, marked by financial hardship, his parents’ divorce, and his mother’s ongoing health challenges due to diabetes, he found stability and support through the program, especially with his mentor, Tzipi. Even before the attacks, she was a consistent presence in his life, checking in daily and visiting him at home just days before everything changed.
On March 21, an Iranian missile hit a densely populated neighborhood in Dimona, causing widespread destruction covering a few blocks, injuring dozens and displacing hundreds of families forced to evacuate their severely damaged homes.
That evening, as sirens blared, Amir and his mother ran for shelter and were so close to safety but didn’t make it in time. Amir was critically injured in the leg by shrapnel, and his mother was also wounded, struck by shrapnel in her ear and leg.
Both were rushed to the hospital, where they remain together as Amir recovers from surgery, in pain but stable, with his mother by his side. In the days since, Tzipi has stayed in close contact with them, just as she had even before the attack. Today, her support is needed more than ever, and The Jewish Agency’s Youth Futures program will continue to be there now, when it is needed most.
