Following the end of the thirty days of mourning the death of our good friend, the dear departed Israel (Izzy) Kaplan, a memorial service was held at the "Mishkan Shalom" synagogue in Sderot. The memorial service was attended by family members, friends and about 120 people who live in Sderot. Rabbi Ariel Bareli who is the presiding rabbi at the "Doresh Tov" synagogue, which was constructed thanks to Izzy`s assistance, taught several Mishnyaoth for the exaltation of Izzy`s soul; Alon Davidi spoke about Izzi`s special connection with the Land of Israel in general and with Sderot in particular, as well as the major contribution he made to the city; Jerry Abraham who was a close friend of Izzy, gave a moving religious biblical (Torah) dissertation in memory of his friend while Izzy`s son-in-law conducted the completion of the Mishnaoth teaching.


The following words were spoken by Alon Davidi at the memorial service:

"From the very first moment we met I could feel and see that this was not an individual who simply listened to reports about the difficulties in Sderot and all that interested him was to make a contribution and then go on his way, but judging by the questions and the way the conversation progressed I soon realized that the man standing in front of me had a keen grasp of the situation and all over his body feels the pain of what we are enduring here in the city, despite the thousands of kilometers that separate his home from Sderot.,"

"However, as the pictures show, this was not the whole story because Izzy helped in obtaining donations and budgets for a wide range of projects in the city. These projects included the building of playgrounds, obtaining budgets for youth activities, the construction of the Jamboree park assistance for those who were injured by Qassam rockets, help for different activities in the schools, distribution of material publicizing the situation in Sderot throughout Israel and abroad, and he went about this work with tremendous dedication day and night, with great modesty and humility which was so characteristic of him…"

"Izzy loved the people of Israel, was an observant Jew and dedicated his life to Israel. For many years, in cooperation with his dear friends, he initiated assistance for a large number of communities and projects in Israel, including those in Sderot, Zefat, Gush Katif and Shomron (Samaria). We are aware of some of his contributions while others have remained anonymous.
All the population of Sderot and the region in general as well as the members of our community in particular cherish and respect everything that Izzy and his family have done for our benefit."

1. Baking Matzah
This year too we worked on a special initiative to bring a mobile matzah bakery to educational institutions and kibbutzim with the aim of teaching the children and youth all about the concept of the commandment (mitzvah) concerning matzah in addition to the subject of Pesach (Passover) in general and also to help them come to enjoy these rituals and traditions.
We are delighted to report that a wide range of communities, institutions and organizations in the southern region responded positively to our initiative and even did so enthusiastically.
Among the participant groups were the students` project at the Sapir Academic College in the Negev; IDF soldiers at the "Re`im" base; high-school students from the kibbutzim in the Sha`ar HaNegev regional council; the pupils at the "Hofim" School located at Kibbutz Yad Modechai; in addition to day centers for children at different kibbutzim and moshavim in our area.
The activities were based on a series of different stations featuring quizzes, games as well as explanations about the stories and themes related to the baking of matzot (unleavened bread) and the Pesach (Passover) festival in general.
Altogether about 1,800 individuals participated in the baking of matzot, the educational festive meals (seder) for Pesach and in adult classes that were organized by us.

We feel that the widespread barrier due to the distance and alienation from the message of Jewish sources and commandments (mitzvoth) has indeed been breached, and there exists a high level of willingness to confront and even participate in initiatives with an explicit Jewish content such as this one.
The responsibility we have taken upon ourselves to ensure that this work continues is considerable and the assignments lying ahead are substantial and important, demanding creative thinking and implementation as well as considerable resources, so that we would be delighted to welcome your participation and possible partnerships wherever possible.

2. Children`s camp to help working mothers

We opened a special recreational camp for children who were on vacation from school in order to ease the burden of working mothers before Pesach (Passover) and also for mothers who were busy cleaning their homes for the festival. More than 50 children, aged 3-8, participated in this camp which was held at the Jamboree. The youth leaders were youth girls from Sderot who together with the children prepared creative works connected with the Pesach festival, in addition to games and quizzes about the festival`s customs and of course they also played at the Jamboree`s installations.

3. Passover Alms for the Poor (Kimcha de`Paschah)

It is common knowledge that the expenses associated with celebrating the Pesach festival are very high and in order to help families to some extent in coping with the financial burden we assisted about 100 families with their shopping for the festival.
We would like to express our sincerest thanks to the synagogues and rabbis who helped out and shared with us in this assignment.

Reading the Scroll of Esther ("megillah") at Kibbutzim and other Towns and Villages in the Gaza Belt Area.

As part of the "Jewish Perspective" project, which seeks to draw people who are not religiously observant closer to Jewish tradition, we gained this year the unique experience of reading the Scroll of Esther in the spirit of Jewish tradition at 11 kibbutzim and moshavim in the south (Ruhama, Dorot, Bror Hayil, Kibbutz Erez, Or HaNer, Ohad, Tsohar, Kerem Shalom, Nir Yitzhak, Urim and Talmei Yosef). In most cases this was the first time that the Scroll of Esther was read in public in the history of these towns and villages.
Hundreds of men, women and children participated in this reading of the Scroll of Esther ("Megillah") and some came in fancy dress and they received a Scroll of Esther and traditional Purim gifts.
The reactions here were very thrilling and many participants asked us to promise now that the Scroll of Esther would be read next year too.

Purim carnival

The youth from Sderot who participate in the "Young Leadership" project planned and ran a Purim carnival for the children of Sderot on the eve of the festival. The carnival included stalls for games and competitions, an area where pitta bread was baked, giant dolls, face painting and similar activities. More than 100 children attended the carnival and later the parents talked about how the carnival worked wonderfully and praised the work of the youth, and the time they spent to ensure the success of the event was clearly evident.

A Purim party for the handicapped community in Sderot

A Purim party was held for the members of the handicapped community in Sderot as the Purim holiday drew to a close. The members of this community suffer from problems associated with physical disabilities and some even have mental disorders.
This evening was organized as part of the ongoing regular activities held every week for the members of this community and their families at the Keshet Club for the Disabled.
The evening`s celebrations were accompanied by a band, and a sumptuous supper was served all to the delight of the participants.

As customary on every holiday, amusing activities for the children of Sderot and its environs were held on Shushan Purim at the Jamboree and the children enjoyed themselves at the site`s plentiful installations and games.

Preparations for Passover (Pesach)

As the Passover holiday approaches the senior staff operates a center dedicated to the topic of "Pesach and Redemption".
At this center individuals will experience for the first time the baking of Matzah ("unleavened bread") according to Jewish religious law thereby enabling them to eat on the Seder night (at the traditional evening meal on the first night of the holiday) Matzah made with their own hands. They will also learn about the story of the Exodus in an experiential and enjoyable manner, while dealing with the concept of redemption and the people of Israel, and similar topics.
Approximately two thousand people are expected to attend the center, including new and long-standing immigrants, adults and children, religious and secular individuals from Sderot and Netivot as well as from kibbutzim in the area, as listed in the following table:

A holiday camp to assist working mothers

The days before the Passover holiday are full of laborious work in cleaning and making preparations for the festival while at the same time the children are on vacation from kindergartens and schools. To make life somewhat easier for the mothers and in response to requests from families, the fun jamboree holds special holiday activities for about 100 children during the week before the Pesach festival. At this holiday camp the children can enjoy creative exercises, diverse activities and needless to say, play at the Jamboree`s installations.

"Kimha de Pascha"

This year too we are interested in distributing "Passover alms for the poor" ("Kimha de Pascha") for the residents of Sderot who lack the means to buy all the essential items for the festival. We would like to prepare a basket for the festival with foodstuffs valued at 70$ and we would appreciate donations and any possible assistance.

During the Sukkoth ("Tabernacles") Holiday the Team held a major happening at the Jamboree Play Center for the children from Sderot and its environs.
Every day about 100 children came and enjoyed the activities with a clown, a workshop for Origami paper folding, additional creative workshops and a wide range of other surprises.