Boston Area Summer Camp for Sderot Children
In January 2007 Masha Rifkin, a junior at Cornell University, began her semester abroad in Israel. It was through her search for a summer internship that she met David Bedein of the Israeli Resource News Agency. She began her internship for Bedein immediately and through his stories first became acquainted with the city of Sderot. Bedein mentioned that his son Noam runs a media center in Sderot, and that they would be holding an exhibit in the following days. Masha attended the exhibit, and so met Noam, the people of Sderot, heard their stories, watched their videos, and saw their photographs. Shocked by what she had seen, and more so by the apathy of the Israeli government, she wrote a letter to her mother, Inna Rifkin, in despair. Together with her mother, David, and Noam Bedein, a decision was made to attempt to take 20 children out of Sderot to two summer camps in the States, to grant them a month’s respite from the Qassam rockets. Inna Rifkin, along with her partner Irina Khavinson of the Russian School of Mathematics, volunteered 10 spots from her summer camp in New Hampshire, and Rabbi Dan Rodkin of Shaloh House volunteered 10 from his in Boston . Masha decided to write a play based on life in Sderot, using 9 of the children as the actors. She and Noam hoped that the children would be able to perform this play, after their stay in the summer camps, in different cities in America - thereby raising awareness. It was at this point that the dream was fully born.
In Boston, the entire Russian Jewish community mobilized to make sure this dream was accomplished. Masha’s letter was forwarded from family to family, and the Russian Jewish Community Foundation (RJCF) adopted the project. A budget was made, huge efforts were thrown into fundraising and media involvement, a video ( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-972718064631834705&hl=en) was created to support the cause – instantly reaching Google’s top ten. The response from the community was warm, strong, and overwhelming. Within 2 months we raised over $60 thousand and continuing strong!
Back in Israel, Masha began the process of finding the appropriate children. Together with Noam, they went to schools, organizations, and families. Finally, they met with a local social worker, Natalia Panaitova, who was well acquainted with many of the residents in Sderot. Through Natalia, Masha and Noam met with over 40 children, and eventually chose the 20 they needed. Masha traveled to Sderot three, sometimes four times a week, to meet with the children, build a relationship with them, and prepare them for the upcoming summer. Meetings with the parents were established, passports were granted, and the long battle for 20 rushed visas – won.
Masha returned to Boston in June. She and the community continue to fight for the cause. They are currently preparing for the children’s imminent arrival. Tours of Boston and New York City have been scheduled, hotels have been booked, and funds are continuously being raised. The performance of the children’s lives in Sderot will be held in Boston on July 25th.
Future Project: Safe Playroom in Sderot
The community is currently working towards the accomplishment of another project: to build a “safe play room” for the children of Sderot. When the missile attacks on Sderot began in 2000, dance instructors, music instructors, math teachers, all after school activities began to fade away. Thus, with parents away at work, and with barely any functional bomb shelters, the children would return home directly after school, and were forced to deal with the terrifying sirens and booms by themselves. The Boston Russian Jewish Community hopes to raise the necessary funds in order to build a fully functional bomb shelter that will double as a “play room” for the children. Children will be able to go here after school, and participate in their old activities, with a community of their peers and adults – without fear of the Qassams.
Join us!
If you would like to help with this cause, you may do so at www.rjcf.com.