HADASSAH NEURIM

Hadassah Neurim, near Netanya, was founded in 1948 as a refuge for children fleeing the gunfire of the War of Independence. Today, it serves as a sanctuary for hundreds of youth from around the world, many from the former Soviet Union, and from the streets of Israel.

At the "Israel at 75" celebration at Mechanics Hall on April 30, we were thrilled to announce that our Central MA Jewish Federation and Hadassah have together launched a unique campaign designed to save children's lives. We are writing today to ask for your support of the effort.

Here's the story: Hadassah and the Federation co-sponsor the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village in northern Israel. About 360 students currently live in the village 's dormitories, an increase of over 100 between 2021 and 2022.
 
But since the war in Ukraine began, the village population has increased even more dramatically. We have received dozens of refugee students whose parents have sent them to Israel alone, to study and live safely in Israel. More continue to come, with no end in sight. The unanticipated influx means that small bedrooms designed for two students and not much larger than some walk-in closets, now house four students each.
 
Even before the war, COVID forced 150 of our students from the Former Soviet Union to live year-round in these buildings, unable to go home to visit their families. As this situation has added even more stress to the students, it has also has increased the demand on our facilities. Both the interior and exteriors of the buildings are deteriorating, the former due to age and unrelenting use, the latter due to the salt air of the Mediterranean Sea.
 
Unfortunately, the Israeli government has put a cap on funding youth villages' rescue efforts. Based on the Jewish tenet that "All Israel is responsible one for the other," we believe it is our obligation to step in. Our community's goal is to raise enough money to build a new dormitory to house these youths, our extended family.

Just as our community responded to redeem the refuseniks of the Soviet Union, and our Ethiopian cousins with Operations Moses and Solomon, we have before us an opportunity to make history again. We hope that we can count on your support in this life-saving effort.