Two leading Israeli educational and social organizations are working with Bank Hapoalim on a new, innovative project to build early-years centers of educational excellence in the Western Negev – the region directly affected by the massive Hamas terror attack on October 7 and the subsequent, ongoing war in Gaza – and help the local young children and their families deal with their trauma.
The three-year project provides continuous, extended support through a unique model developed to address the particular needs of the local population, with a focus on their pedagogical and emotional environments. This includes the preschools integrating programs for direct psychological support for children, educators and parents.
A recently created model to predict the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder in Israel following October 7 found that some five percent of the entire Israeli population could be expected to develop PTSD. But when focusing on the region directly impacted by the attack and subsequent conflict, that percentage soars to over 30 percent.
The preschool project was developed by SASA Setton and Alumot Or and the bank’s Poalim Litkuma Fund and is initially operating in 25 institutions for children aged 3 to 6 years – 22 regular preschools and three for special education students.
The project began this month with the start of the Israeli school year, and includes schools in the regional councils of Eshkol, Sha’ar HaNegev, Hof Ashkelon and Sdot Negev, as well as the city of Ofakim, with plans for around 10 more regional institutions to be added.
“This project goes far beyond the renovation or reconstruction of preschools severely damaged by the events of October 7 and the ongoing war,” said Sonia Gomes de Mesquita, the head of the project and donor representative.
“We are essentially entering a long-term process of creating early childhood centers of excellence using an innovative educational model tailored to the unique needs of the Western Negev region,” she said.
Gomes de Mesquita is also the executive director at the Center for Jewish Impact, which initiated the project, and the former head of the Educational Negev Unit of the IDF Southern Command.
The programs themselves were developed in collaboration with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, which provides mental health support and trauma care for children in southern Israel, and in partnership with the Anna Freud Centre, a London-based charity dedicated to children’s mental health.
The specially developed educational environments include spaces to encourage learning, creativity and personal growth as well as providing ongoing professional training and support for staff.
An emphasis has also been placed on cementing the ties between the preschools and the local community, with the latter serving as an anchor both to encourage residents who were displaced due to the situation to return and to attract potential new members.
“The goal is not only to provide quality education but also to strengthen community resilience and support the region’s renewal for a better future,” said Gomes de Mesquita.
“This project exemplifies our commitment to the communities in the Western Negev and our belief in the power of education to effect change. It is deeply important to support this vital initiative, which represents a significant step in the revival of the Jewish people following the horrors of the past year.”
Donations from local and international partners have met the multi-million shekel cost of the project, including the Poalim Litkuma Fund, which was set up in the wake of the October 7 attack, the Segal and Rothman families from the United States, the Russian-Jewish Congress, the San Francisco Federation and the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement.
“The events of October 7 constitute a national disaster that has impacted and continues to affect broad segments of society,” said Reuven Krupik, chairman of Bank Hapoalim’s Board of Directors.
“Children aged 3 to 6 who have experienced emotional and psychological trauma, along with their parents, are a particularly vulnerable population, and educational teams play a crucial role in building mental resilience and shaping the future generation,” he said.
“On this occasion, I would like to wish all educational teams and children in Israel a meaningful school year.”
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