Imagine not being able to take a shower without worrying about being interrupted by a red alert, signaling that you have to seek shelter immediately as a Kassam rocket approaches your home. Imagine your children, who once loved to play in the park and kick around a soccer ball, confined to their homes day and night in fear of their lives.
The people in the Israeli city Sderot, which borders Gaza, a stronghold of Hamas terrorist, must face these realities in their daily lives. Although we have been blessed that after nearly 4,000 rocket attacks in the past few years, the casualties have been under a dozen, who knows what the deceased could have contributed to humanity. Even though the loss of life has been relatively small, Sderot residents have paid a high price; it is believed that 90% of Sderot’s children suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Rabbi Dan Rodkin was moved hearing about the courage of these children and their sad plight, and started a program that would bring at least a hundred of Sderot’s children’s every summer to Camp Gan Israel, a network of Jewish camps located all over the United States. The children who participate literally have been granted a breath of fresh air and relief from constant worries about their existence.
While their trauma prevents them from enjoying Fourth of July fireworks (few of these children find the sound of explosions amusing), many play ball for the first time in years, go swimming and live like ordinary children. In spite of language barriers and jet lag, the kids make lasting friendships with their American counterparts and laugh and relax.
While the generosity of Camp Gan Israel and Rabbi Rodkin help heal the wounds, at least for at time, the tragedy of the situation is it could have been prevented. Sderot was a relatively safe industrial town before the Gaza expulsion in 2005, during with Israeli residents were thrown out of their homes to make room for Hamas to move in and use Gaza as a base to attack Sderot.
But Rabbi Rodkin looks forward to the day when things will be very different. He says he prays next year he can take American children for a fun summer holiday in Sderot.