As summer approaches, a new crisis emerges for at-risk children in Israel. When schools shut down for July and August, the vital safety nets, routine, and institutional supervision that protect these youth disappear. For mainstream families, summer means camps, vacations, and carefree fun. For the families served by The Jaffa Institute, summer represents a period of extreme vulnerability, exposure to street delinquency, and increased emotional distress.
On top of the everyday struggles of poverty, these young boys and girls have just endured months of relentless trauma. They have spent another exhausting year exposed to the terrifying sounds of air-raid sirens, the thunderous booms of Iron Dome interceptions, ballistic missile threats, and frantic runs to bomb shelters. The ongoing conflict, paired with a heavy layer of uncertainty about what tomorrow might bring, has left an entire generation of at-risk children deeply traumatized and more fragile than ever.
Stepping directly into this gap, The Jaffa Institute is launching its annual summer day camp program alongside an urgent fundraising campaign. Committed to ensuring that no child is left behind or trapped in their trauma, the organization will open its doors to hundreds of at-risk children and teenagers, completely free of charge, from the beginning of July until mid-August.
Operating five full days a week for six critical weeks, this massive undertaking is designed to serve as a sanctuary of structure and safety. It provides a comprehensive ecosystem built to counter the psychological toll of the past year through three vital pillars:
Stability & Emotional Support
The camp is staffed by caring professionals trained to handle the unique psychological burdens these children carry. Through structured routines and targeted emotional support, the children are given a safe space to process their anxieties and just breathe.
Essential Nutrition
Poverty is often accompanied by food insecurity. To combat this, the institute provides nutritious, freshly prepared daily meals to every participant, ensuring their bodies are fueled even when school lunch programs are offline.
Educational Enrichment
The 40 days of active fighting between Israel and Iran have taken a heavy toll on Israel’s at-risk youth, widening already deep educational disparities. Remote learning is a luxury many of these children simply cannot access; they often lack basic tools like a personal computer or a quiet corner to study. Add the psychological weight of constant anxiety and the frantic, daily rush to bomb shelters, and meaningful online education becomes entirely out of reach.
To restore the precious time lost during the conflict, the Jaffa Institute is structuring its summer camps to blend summer recreation with educational enrichment, such as group tutoring in core subjects, Hebrew lessons for Ukrainian immigrant children and experiential science lessons, giving these children the tools and resilience they need to start the school year with confidence this September.
Pure Joy and Carefree Exploration
Perhaps most importantly, the camp gives these kids the chance to simply be children again. The Jaffa Institute fills their summer calendar with excursions to venues like water parks, swimming pools, amusement parks, and the cinema, offering them the same exciting, enriching experiences enjoyed by their more fortunate peers.
This summer, Israel’s kids need a break more than ever before. They deserve a reprieve from the shadows of war and the heavy burdens of poverty. By supporting this campaign, donors are providing more than just field trips and meals; they are funding a vital, six-week lifeline of healing, joy, and emotional relief.
12-year-old Shira*’s summers were typically spent either tagging along with her mother’s workplace, minding her younger siblings or just wandering around her neighborhood. But last summer, she got to attend a Jaffa Institute summer camp. She was in a safe, structured environment where she could enjoy the company of her peers, fun summer activities and exciting excursions to places like amusement parks, swimming pools, the zoo and the cinema. [*Pseudonym]
“Going to all those places was like a dream come true,” she said. “Now I can’t wait for next summer to arrive!”
Your tax-deductible donation directly funds meals, security, emotional counseling, and unforgettable summer experiences for disadvantaged children in Israel.