Students Across the Country to Raise Money for Children of Sderot

Playground Activities to Help Fund Israel’s Largest Indoor Playground

Contact: Michelle Beller JNF Education Programs Manager 703-888-2235 mbeller@jnf.org

October 2008 -- To serve as a reminder that no child in Sderot, Israel can be more than 15 seconds away from a bomb shelter, and to help give those children a chance to be kids, students in day schools and congregations across the country are hosting a Let Us Play! event on their playgrounds during the week of the 15th of Cheshvan, Thursday, November 13. They are raising funds to help Jewish National Fund (JNF) build Israel’s largest indoor playground in Sderot.

The $5 million, 20,000-square foot facility project will provide Sderot’s youth with a place to have fun, connect with friends, enjoy stimulating classes, and simply be children.  It will feature state-of-the-art indoor play park equipment with extensive padding and no sharp edges, interactive skill games, seating to accommodate parents, an indoor soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, a rock climbing wall, and a media center with a movie room and video games. There will also be three therapy rooms to help children suffering from trauma. The building is in a secure location and is being built to meet all IDF security regulations for safety.

"Our hope is that the children in this country who live in a much safer world than the children of Sderot will join together to raise funds through sponsorship and donations to make a safe place for the children in Sderot," said Bob Levine, JNF Vice President of Education. "I know I don’t need to belabor the point. I can easily imagine in this post-9/11 world a place where children are at risk.  If it is possible to help someone else’s child to be safe, I believe it is our responsibility to do so.

“From the time a siren goes off indicating an incoming rocket, Sderot’s residents only have 15 seconds to make their way to a bomb shelter; not enough time if you’re a young child playing outside with friends or riding around the neighborhood on your bicycle, or really doing anything that kids do. Thankfully, our children play safely in their playgrounds. We want to provide Sderot’s children with a similar sense of safety, something every child deserves.”

To achieve their goals, the students will ask their family and friends to sponsor their participation in games, sports, and other activities that will be played on the school playground. Every student who participates will receive special recognition. Schools that raise over $1800 will be permanently recognized on a plaque in the playground.

 # # #

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND (JNF) began in 1901 as a dream and vision to reestablish a homeland in Israel for Jewish people everywhere. Jews the world over collected coins in iconic JNF Blue Boxes, purchasing land and planting trees until ultimately, their dream of a Jewish homeland was a reality. JNF gives all generations of Jews a unique voice in building a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people.

JNF embodies both heart and action; our work is varied in scope but singular in benefit. We strive to bring an enhanced quality of life to all of Israel’s residents, and translate these advancements to the world beyond. JNF is greening the desert with millions of trees, building thousands of parks, creating new communities and cities for generations of Israelis to call home, bolstering Israel’s water supply, helping develop innovative arid-agriculture techniques, and educating both young and old about the founding and importance of Israel and Zionism.

JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and United Nations NGO, which continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers.

For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.