A real sense of home

As part of our Northern Spirit project, a new Tozeret Haaretz young community has been launched in Mishmar Hayarden, located in the Mevo’ot Hermon region. Eden, the Tozeret Haaretz community coordinator there, shared that the new community has become stronger and more closely knit since the war began. Some members went to stay with their parents in somewhat less affected areas as soon as the war broke out but returned after a few days, saying that being together as a community gives them strength and they prefer the togetherness. They attest to a real feeling of home, despite being a new community, and we couldn’t wish for anything more. The Mishmar Hayarden community prepared Purim food packages for families in the moshav and are volunteering with the local children. 

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Cooking together

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Kibbutz Nir Am’s student community, the first community launched as part of the Southern Spirit project in the Gaza Envelope region, has spent their wartime volunteer time cooking with kibbutz seniors. The students have been volunteering with the seniors on a weekly basis for a while now, working together on a Nir Am cookbook. With the seniors hesitant to leave their homes now, the students have been showing up to cook with them in their homes, providing a deeply needed distraction from the wartime stress, a satisfying (and delicious) activity and relief from solitude.

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Seen and supported

Haredi men and their families who choose to serve in military reserve duty often do not enjoy the support of their surrounding community and can even be ostracized. The Tozeret Haaretz Haredi community in Pardes Katz has been, since October 7th and even prior to then, one of the only sources of support for these families, some of whom are members of the community. Seeing that some families are experiencing difficulty at this time due to renewed reserve duty, the community pitched in and prepared sweet Shabbat packages to show these families that they are seen and not alone. 
 

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Staying active, staying alive

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Tozeret Haaretz communities in Nof Hagalil, Kiryat Malachi, Hatzor Haglilit, Lod, Netivot and Kiryat Shemona have been volunteering regularly in senior homes and in organizing activity for local children, providing fun, a social outlet and a much-needed break from wartime stress. Activities have included arts and crafts, jewelry making and pizza making, among others. One Tozeret Haaretz community member in Kiryat Malachi offered an online brownie baking activity on Zoom for the local children in the very early days of the war with Iran when few were going out, and it was very well received. Unfortunately, we did not get to enjoy the results in person.

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