- Support for reservist families whose homes have been destroyed by missiles
- Interactive Zoom workshops for children of reservists
- Sending gift packages with goodies and activities to keep children engaged and calm during the stressful hours in bomb shelters
- Providing meals for reservist families at a much greater rate
To The Jewish Federation of Minneapolis,
During these challenging days in Israel, and specifically in Dimona, it is important for us to express our deep gratitude for your longstanding support for Youth Futures and to update you on the situation of our beneficiaries in Dimona following the missile strike.
Dimona is located in the south of Israel in the Negev. It is a city with 40,000 residents. Dimona is a multicultural city with over 27 dialects from around the world. Many residents live in old housing without safe rooms, meaning families with young children and the elderly have only 90 seconds to run to a public shelter during the sirens and rocket shelling. On Saturday, February 28th, Operation Roaring Lion erupted; within days, Hezbollah joined the war, and both Iran and Hezbollah have been heavily bombarding Israel. Dimona has since experienced extensive shelling with up to 22 siren alarms.
Youth Futures Dimona was established in 2006 and has been operating in Dimona for twenty years, it is composed of 8 Mentors, 2 “Heartbeats” Mentors for early age, 2 National Service Volunteers, 1 family coordinator, and 1 director. When Operation Roaring Lion began, Youth Futures immediately began to map the children’s and families’ needs.
On Saturday, March 21st, an Iranian Cluster Missile directly hit a highly populated neighborhood in Dimona. The missile created devastation and severe damage in the whole neighborhood, a radius of a few blocks. About 70 people were evacuated to the hospital, 39 were injured, a 12-year-old boy was severely injured, and a 30-year-old woman was moderately injured. 250 families, 1148 civilians, had to evacuate their homes due to severe damage.
The 12-year-old boy, Amir, who was severely injured in the rocket shelling in Dimona has been taking part in the social group in Youth Futures Dimona since November of this year. Amir is in the 7th grade and comes from a very challenging home. His parents are divorced, his mother suffers from diabetes, there are many financial challenges in the home, and he has many school absences. Throughout the war, Tzipi, his mentor, kept in daily touch with Amir. These daily conversations have proven fundamental and crucially important for keeping up the morale and strengthening the connection between Tzipi and Amir. Just Last week, Tzipi made a home visit to see Amir. Amir asked if they could take a picture of themselves. The picture beside is of the two of them outside his home. On Shabbat evening, after the shelling, Tzipi spoke to Amir’s mother. She told her that when they heard the sirens, she and her family ran to the public shelter, but they just were not fast enough; they were nearly there, but they didn’t have enough time. The rocket critically injured Amir, and his mother was injured as well. Amir was rushed to the hospital with rocket shrapnel in his leg; his mother was also injured with shrapnel in her ear and leg. They are both hospitalized together. Amir, at this time, is in pain recovering from surgery, and his mother is worried beside his bed.
Another Youth Futures teen, who was severely affected by the rocket shelling on Dimona on Saturday, is Opal Cohen. Opal is in the 8th grade and joined Youth Futures this September. She has 4 younger siblings who are all special needs children. Her house suffers damage from the blast, and it is unlivable at this stage. Her parents decided that it would be easier to live during this time in a local shelter rather than evacuate to a hotel because of the severity of her brother’s condition. They would rather not take them to an unfamiliar setting. Tzipi, the Mentor, was in contact with Opal and her family that very same evening, inquiring about their well-being and suggesting assistance and support.
In addition, Tehila, another Youth Futures teen’s house destroyed. Tehila is in the 9th grade, and this is her second year in the program. Tehila is one of 4 children in the family. The family has many challenges; the father is unemployed, and Tehila suffers from low self-confidence. When the family heard the sirens, they hurried to the safe room. Luckily, they were unharmed, but their house was destroyed. The blast blew up everything in its way, all the glass windows and furniture. When the family came out of the safe room, they were in complete shock; they could not believe their own eyes at the destruction they saw. Tehila had a really difficult ordeal in the safe room, and from all of the stress, she fainted. The family was evacuated to a hotel in the Dead Sea area. Once again, Tzipi was in contact with the teen and the family, speaking to them shortly after the attack, listening to their needs, and supporting them throughout the whole ordeal.
During the recent escalation, the home of one of the families participating in the “Heartbeats” program in the city of Dimona was damaged, requiring the family to evacuate to a hotel in the Dead Sea area. The family consists of two parents and two daughters, ages 3 and 5, who moved to Dimona from Kiryat Gat only a few months ago.
The family was referred to the program by the director of the rehabilitative daycare center where the mother worked, following the identification of challenges in family functioning, including daily organization, setting boundaries, and coping with sibling relationships. In addition, the family is dealing with a lack of a support network in their new city. Throughout their participation in the program, a high level of cooperation and strong commitment to the support process have been evident on the side of the parents.
At the time of the siren, the family acted according to the guidelines and reached a protected space together with their daughters, thereby avoiding physical injury. However, their home sustained significant damage and is currently uninhabitable.
There was also significant damage to key community infrastructures in the city. The Early Childhood Center in Dimona, where program activities had taken place just days earlier, was severely damaged. The incident triggered deep emotional responses among the program Mentors, given the realization that the damage could have occurred during a shared activity with families and children. At this stage, it is unclear when activities at the site will be able to resume.
The rehabilitative daycare center in the city, intended for children with developmental needs, was also physically damaged, and the space in which it operated has been shut down.
The overall atmosphere in the city is characterized by a heightened sense of emergency and alertness. Alongside this, there has been impressive community mobilization, with educational staff and professionals operating even during nighttime hours to distribute food in protected locations.
The “Heartbeats” Mentor team responded immediately, establishing contact with all participating families, providing emotional support, tools for regulation and calming, and ongoing guidance, including follow-up in the morning after the events to monitor the families’ condition.
Reports from the field indicate a strong experience of fear among the families. Within this reality, the high level of functioning of the Mentors stands out, as they were able to act with professionalism, sensitivity, and stability even under conditions of pressure and distress.
With sincere appreciation,
