The children of reservists: an initiative providing a break from the war
This summer, about 300 additional teenagers are participating in Jewish summer camps as part of a first-of-its-kind resilience program. The format provides a unique experience for the children of reservists, including those who lost family members in the "Iron Swords" war: "This is the power of the Jewish people as a human network that crosses borders."
Many children of reservists are returning from a first-of-its-kind resilience program in Jewish summer camps around the world, where they received a warm embrace from Jewish communities as part of a new initiative by the Jewish Agency.
About 700 teenagers from the north and south are participating in the program this year, joined for the first time by about 300 children of reservists. In total, about 1,000 teenagers are taking part in the program.
The new initiative joins the Jewish Agency's Campers2Gether program, which was launched following the "Iron Swords" war and in which teenagers from the northern communities and the Gaza envelope have been hosted for the third year in the summer and winter camps of Jewish communities abroad. The program operates thanks to the support of foundations from across the Jewish world, including the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, the Wilf Family Foundation, the Adanim Foundation, the Davidson Foundation, the Zalik Foundation, and Mosaic United — an initiative of the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.
The Campers2Gether program gives teenagers affected by the war, including those forced to evacuate their homes or who lost family members on October 7, a break from the ongoing security reality and an opportunity to meet their peers for a shared experience based on strengthening resilience, belonging, and mutual responsibility.
As part of the new initiative for the children of reservists, dozens of teenagers from the confrontation line communities, whose parents have served more than 300 days in the reserves since October 7, were hosted during the summer vacation in camps in Greece, Italy, Austria, and Germany. For a week, they took part in educational, social, and sports activities and created personal connections with teenagers from the Jewish communities.
Noga from Kibbutz Amir, whose father serves in the reserves and whose family was evacuated, and Adi from Kfar Blum, whose father serves in the reserves and who studied for months in a shelter, participated in a summer camp in Greece that was highly significant for them, allowing them to feel part of a global Jewish family.
Comments on behalf of the Jewish Agency:
Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Major General (res.) Doron Almog:
"Behind every reservist stand children and families who carry with them the longing, the worry, and the absence. In the summer camps, they received an opportunity to simply be children and to get to know Jewish children from all over the world. Our mission is to turn the connection between Israel and the Jewish communities into a living connection of people, meetings, mutual responsibility, and an open heart."
CEO of the Jewish Agency, Yehuda Stolov:
"One of the most important things we can give children who have gone through such complex years is the feeling that they are part of something bigger than themselves. This is the power of the Jewish people as a human network that crosses borders — to be there for one another, to build resilience, and to turn mutual responsibility from a vision into a personal and significant experience."
