In the months since October 7, Hadassah’s two youth aliyah villages in Israel have been a safe haven for the hundreds of students who call the villages home.
In turn, students have been finding ways to advocate and give back to help their fellow students and the greater community heal, even while grieving for their own.
Two former students were killed in the terrorist attacks on October 7 and another two lost their lives in combat. Capt. Nir Binyamin, 29, who grew up at the Hadassah Neurim Youth Village, was killed on January 22 in the explosion in the central Gaza Strip that took the lives of 21 IDF soldiers. His parents used to manage the village’s nursery and his father is currently part of the village’s educational team.
“We hug with great pain the family members, friends and the entire village community,” the village said in its announcement.
Maj. (res.) Roman Bronstein, 46, another graduate of Hadassah Neurim, was killed in battle on December 10 in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Our condolences to his family and friends,” the village said. “May his memory be a blessing.”
Giving Back
At the end of October, students at the Meir Shfeyah Youth Aliyah Village volunteered to help a local farmer clear a field for planting. Because so many workers have been called up for reserve duty, families have had to leave their homes and workplaces, and many foreign workers have left the country, there was an extreme shortage of agricultural workers.
At the end of November, eight Meir Shfeyah students who had been training in the village’s therapeutic horseback riding academy mentored children who had been evacuated from their homes, along with helping a group of injured soldiers who received treatment at the stables.
Speaking Out
In December, a special discussion took place in the Knesset that dealt with the issue of young people without family to support them in an emergency situation. Neta Daskal, a staff member at Hadassah Neurim, and Rachel Kashtanova, a graduate, represented Hadassah and shared their experiences.
The purpose of the discussion was to bring awareness to the Knesset of the mental health and economic condition of young people without family support, which has worsened since the beginning of the war.
“We were happy for the opportunity to participate in such an important discussion with people in key positions and to convey to them the need for the government's support for young people without family background at this time,” the village staff posted on Facebook.