A SPECIAL GIFT AND A SPECIAL DAY FOR THE CHILDREN FROM KIBBUTZ KFAR AZA….IN HERZLIA ON JANUARY 8, 2009
Voices of happy children and their laughter rang out from the classrooms at the Herzl School in Herzlia. It was there that we met the group of children of all ages, along with their mothers, who had come to live in the central part of Israel, far from the rockets and the sirens and more recently, from the war in Gaza. The Herzlia Municipality had arranged for them home hospitality which included a variety of fun activities each day. City employees as well as young volunteers made things go smoothly.
We met this special group. Tzvika Shahak, Bat-Chen's father, offered an opening message. He shared with the group the fact that between the years 1984—1987 he and his family lived on Kibbutz Kfar Aza and that 21 years ago, the family moved to Tel Mond. He and his wife raised their three children on the Kibbutz during that period.
Tzvika emphasized that during those three years, the family felt an outpouring of love from the kibbutz community and that today, during this difficult time, it is Tzvika's privilege to meet with this same community.
The objective of the gathering was to encourage these children to begin keeping a diary in which they will describe and express their feelings and concerns about what is happening in their home community and in Israel during this stressful period.
Ayelet Shahak, Bat-Chen's mother, shared a power point presentation which included segments of Bat-Chen's diaries as well as explained how the diaries helped Bat-Chen deal with her own fears and difficulties as a young Israeli youth who also had to face stressful situations such as:
*the difficulty of living with war (and gas masks) as in the first Golf War
*the fear of going through surgery
*failing an exam in school
*mom is getting on her nerves!
*concerns about going to a new school
At the end of the meeting, each child was given a copy of the BAT-CHEN DIARIES as well as an empty diary, in hope that each of them would begin writing and keeping a diary, as Bat-Chen did. She wrote, "Writing for me is a wonderful thing and it makes me happy."
For additional information about our Association, please see www.batchen.co.il
**Bat-Chen Shahak was killed on the holiday of Purim at Dizengof Center, Tel Aviv in 1996 along with two of her friends. It was her 15th birthday!
