Birthdays just come. They don’t care if there is war or peace, quiet or the sounds of rockets exploding overhead.

Thanks to the good work and creativity of Ruthie Sobel Luttenberg and her programs Birthday Angels and Design for Change, kids forced to spend the long summer days in bomb shelters won’t have their special day forgotten despite the reality surrounding them. As Ruthie has arranged in previous wars, a contingent of Israeli volunteers  travel south to bomb shelters several days each week and  provide games, songs, what certainly looks like an amazing birthday cake — and a chance to forget what is happening outside.

Added to the parties this year is a moving meditation exercise Ruthie created with help from some talented volunteers who wrote the music and the words. Watch this clip–it is guaranteed to touch your heart and mind. Though the words are in Hebrew we include the translation below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJzB4yqWIDE

The Good People Fund is honored to help Ruthie make these parties possible. No one should miss a birthday.

ANGEL MEDITATION

Find a place where you can lie down on the floor.

 And then, whenever when ever you are ready, just close your eyes.

 Listen to the music and let it take you to the quiet, safe place you have inside yourself.

In this place, everything is calm and peaceful. 

In this place, there are birthday angels who watch over all of you.

 

These are the malachim, the guardian angels.

They make you strong and protect you from harm.

Each angel stands in a special place – and each one has a special job to do.

 

In your imagination, picture the archangel Michael standing guard at your right side.

Michael is kind and loving.

He understands and accepts you just the way you are.

He reminds you that you are a very special person.

He makes you feel good about yourself and everyone around you.

Whenever you are feeling sad or lonely, Michael will stay with you until you are happy again.

 

Standing to the left of you is Gabriel.

This archangel is powerful and brave.

His gift to you is strength and courage.

With Gabriel’s help, you can let go of anything that makes you feel afraid.

Whenever you are frightened, all you have to do is call to Gabriel

and he will be there to protect you.

In front of you is Uriel – the angel of knowledge.

Uriel is wise and all knowing.

If you are feeling lost or confused, just ask Uriel for help

and he will show you what to do.

Uriel will always lead you in the right direction.

He will always help you find your way.

In back of you, stands the archangel Raphael.

Raphael is in charge of healing.

He is like a divine magician who knows how to change the bad into something good

When you are sick or in pain, Raphael will help take care of you.

Just tell him what is wrong and he will use his magic powers to make things better.

Whenever you need the archangels, all you have to do is close your eyes and imagine.

 

Michael will rush to your right side and shower you with love.

Gabriel will take his position on the left to keep you safe from harm.

Uriel will stand in front of you to light your way.

And Raphael will be there behind you, in case you need his healing help.

 

In a moment it will be time to open your eyes.

 

But even when the birthday party is over, even when you go back home,

you will still feel happy and calm, relaxed and secure  because you know you are protected by the angels.

 Here we go…

One…

Two…

Three…

Whenever you are ready, just open your eyes.

 

First Sgt. Eitan Barak, 20, from Herzliya

Lt. Colonel Dolev Keidar, 38, from Modi’in

Sgt. Major Bayhesain Kshaun, 39, from Netivot

Second Lt. Yuval Haiman, 21, from Efrat

Sgt. Nadav Goldmacher, 23, from Be’er Sheva

Staff Sgt. Tal Ifrach, 21, from Rishon LeZion

Staff Sgt. Yuval Dagan, 22, from Kfar Saba

Staff Sgt. Jordan Bensemhoun, 22, from Ashkelon

Staff Sgt. Moshe Malko, 20, from Jerusalem

Sgt. Nissim Sean Carmeli, 21, from Ra’anana

Sgt. Oz Mendelovich, 21, from Atzmon

Sgt. Gilad Rozenthal Yacoby, 21, from Kiryat Ono

Cpt. Tsvi Kaplan, 28, from Meirav

Maj. Tzafrir Baror, 32, from Holon

Staff Sgt. Bnaya Rubel, 20, from Holon

2nd Lt. Bar Rahav, 21, from Ramat Yishai

Sgt. Adar Barsano, 20, from Nahariya

Maj. (res.) Amotz Greenberg, 45, from Hod Hasharon

Ouda Lafi al-Waj, 32 (civilian Bedouin)

Narakorn Kittiyongkul, Thai Worker

 Dror Hanin, 37, from Beit Aryeh (civilian)

Sgt. Max Steinberg, 24, of Beer Sheva (originally from Los Angeles, California)

Staff Sgt. Shachar Tase, 20, of Pardesiya,

Staff Sgt. Daniel Pomerantz, 20, of Kfar Azar

Sgt. Shon Mondshine, 19, of Tel Aviv

Sgt. Ben Oanounou , 19, of Ashdod

Staff Sgt. Oren Noach, 22, of Hoshaya

Staff Sgt. Jordan Ben Simon, 22, from Ashkelon

Staff Sgt. Oded Ben Sira, 22, of Nir Etzion

Master Sgt. Ohad Shemesh, 27, of Beit Elazari

Staff Sgt. Avitar Moshe Torjamin, 20, of Beit Shean

Cpt. Dmitri Levitas, 26, of Jerusalem

First Lt. Natan Cohen, 23, from Modiin

Lt. Paz Elyahu, 22, from Evron

Staff Sgt. Li Mat, 19, from Eilat

Staff Sgt. Shahar Dauber, 20, from Ginegar

Oron Shaul , 19, of Poriah Illit, declared Missing in Action, presumed dead.  

Baruch Dayan Ha’met

…As they are not able to make it to a secure location in enough time, they stay in their apartments and are terribly frightened. We have had several tenants who are experiencing tremendous anxiety all of the time and both the staff and the board have been very busy trying to help people.

After 14 days we are all familiar with the sound of the sirens piercing the air throughout Israel, the sight of people running to shelters, the news of death and destruction. Two emails from early this morning remind us of a special group of people particularly hard hit by the ongoing war — disabled people. What do you do when you live alone and are disabled? Even if your home is secure, to be alone during such a stressful time is extraordinarily difficult.  As Miriam Freier, founder of Shalhevet which provides independent housing to disabled people in Jerusalem, wrote this morning, anxiety abounds in her group.

Laurie Groner who helps run Inbar, an organization that offers social events as well as courses in relationships and social integration to people with disabilities wrote,  We’re just one small organization, and last night while I was glued to the TV I got 5 phone calls from our clients. Many of them are home alone and they just want to talk. They’re thinking that next time this happens they don’t want to be alone…..We’ve cancelled three events so far and people really miss them.

The Good People Fund will help Miriam and the residents of Shalhevet. While we cannot stop the war, we can make it possible for a communal Shabbat meal and other diversions to help ease the residents’ concerns. Perhaps this week’s Shabbat meal will be a quiet one with no sirens to create anxiety and fear?

Once again, the situation in Israel has deteriorated to the point that over 75% of the country is threatened by the recent wave of rocket attacks. No longer is the crisis confined to the southern-most part of Israel…very few regions are exempt from the ongoing tzeva adom (code red) alarms that pierce the air at a frighteningly frequent rate. (To get a sense of just how far technology has come in this war and how frequently these rockets are being deployed you can now download the app for these alarms on your smartphone.)

We have spoken with all of our programs individually, sharing our concern. In fact, if there is one overriding comment I hear it is that our “checking in” is so important — to know that people not involved in the day-to-day matsav (situation ) care and want to help gives everyone strength knowing that they are not alone.

Whenever there is a major crisis — a tsunami, a hurricane or, in this case a war affecting a region where we are already deeply invested, the question that always arises is “where do we, the Good People Fund, best use our resources to help in ways that are consistent with our philosophy?” Over the past few days I have been in touch with Rosa Naveh, a certified family therapist and supervisor who began The Center for Children and Family at Risk in Sderot in 2001. Rosa has often acted on our behalf with specific needs for her families that are not met elsewhere. When we met her several years ago we knew immediately that her “no-nonsense” compassion would serve us well. A few days ago I wrote to Rosa asking how the children and families she works with were managing in this latest war. Could we help?

Rosa explained that in Sderot there are many organizations that provide interventions for families who have been “hit” or suffer severe anxiety attacks. All of these services are emergency based. Rosa’s wish is to provide art therapy with the help of a nationally recognized art therapist and his team. The therapists will make home visits to help the children and their families process what is happening now, while it is happening, so that it doesn’t develop into chronic PTSD. When this is done on a home visit basis it alleviates a sense of isolation when most families stay home. Also most of these parents need to continue working which means that they often leave their children at home. Providing them art therapy at home preserves their sense of childhood as opposed to being thrown into a tough reality with no emotional means to cope because “they are still children”. This therapy will also be offered to home-bound handicapped people who have a particularly difficult time in these kinds of situations.

Our plan is to provide at least 100 hours of art therapy which Rosa will monitor and is enlisting families as of this morning.

In addition, we will provide funds to Maya Englert, founder of our grantee, Fund for Needy Immigrants located in Beersheva, a particularly hard-hit city in the South. Maya reports that our urgent need in this context is to help these immigrants as much as possible, by distributing food, soaps and basic necessities for the immigrants, as well as games, toys and some candy to the children. … in addition to the immigrants in the Nachal Ashan neighborhood, there are 150 families of new immigrants in the Ye’elim absorption centre, who have similar needs.

Please click here www.goodpeoplefund.org/donate so that we can make these needs (and anything else we are asked to provide) a reality for Israel’s most vulnerable citizens.

If they don’t have the equipment, which their parents can’t afford, they will be out on the street or playing video games.

Like most kids, Max Levitt loved sports while he was growing up. In fact, he admits that from a very young age and could physically throw an object, he would toss and pitch whatever was available.

Sports were an integral part of his life–so much so that he eventually went off to Syracuse University where he majored in Sports Management and became the Equipment Manager for the football team. It was there that Max learned just how much used and excess equipment accumulates in sports programs. This surplus is not confined to college sports but exists even in many of our own basements and garages. From that realization Max began Leveling the Playing Field which collects equipment and gets it to kids who would not otherwise experience the many benefits of sports activities. Whether it be baseball, basketball, tennis, hockey…studies show that participation in sports may bring better grades, better health and so much more.

When we met Max we were taken with both his seriousness and his passion for the work that he has begun. Starting a non-profit is not for the faint-hearted and Max is not daunted by the challenges he faces. This year alone, more than 5,000 items have been donated, impacting 11,697 kids. Those numbers translate into a savings of more than $88,000 to recreation programs across numerous states and even in Israel. With the Good People Fund’s $5000 matching grant Max and Leveling the Playing Field will have significant resources to help carry out their mission.

How much unused equipment sits in your garage?

This week, we started our third month of providing lunch to the children. Before we met with you we had planned to provide 3 lunches, for three days, but we could not resist the joy on the children’s faces so immediately we changed the order and from week 1 contracted the restaurant supplying us with the food, that we would take 6 days of lunches. The joy of the children is indescribable and so is ours!

The food is rich, nutritious and diversified…It wasn’t easy in the beginning. Not all foods were familiar to the children, especially vegetables. But we are not giving up, every child that joins the circle of vegetable eaters brings us great joy, they show us their muscles and understand that only if they eat their vegetables  will they be strong and healthy!

I would like to thank you once more for your support in helping us fund these meals.

This quick email update just arrived and was sent by Carmit Elad, a volunteer for Tzimaon, a Good People Fund Israeli grantee and all-volunteer organization that believes that we should all help those who have less.  It was Carmit’s idea to help the children in the refugee ganim (daycare centers) with better surroundings and healthy food. The picture above shows the formerly “white plates” filled with rice or pasta. With our help those plates are now “green” and the “circle of vegetable eaters” is getting bigger every day!