Dear Friends,
We are now looking ahead to the Passover holiday, whose festival days always bring longer school vacations. With the approval of the Ministry, Neve Hanna was initially able to send all children to their parents or relatives for a few days. After some time, a group of children who could remain at home for just a short period returned to Neve Hanna. Additional children will come back during the extended holiday period, though only part of the team is required for their care.
Just before the holidays, the most pressing issue Neve Hanna had been grappling with after four weeks of war became critical: the excessive strain on the team. Our staff had to work countless extra hours to be there for our children, even though they themselves have families at home, and often young children—who, like our children, have not been able to attend school since the war began- must cope with remote learning via Zoom, and of course feel the exceptional circumstances brought about by the war. In short, providing round-the-clock care for the Neve Hanna children has (once again) been a major burden for our team. In addition, given the personal stories our children carry with them, times of war present enormous further challenges.
Our team was in urgent need of this break, which the holidays are now providing. Some of the younger staff members are taking care of the few children who have returned to Neve Hanna in the meantime. The others are hopefully able to use their days off to rest and recover with their families, even though—whether during the holidays or not—we all continue to feel the heavy strain of the war, from which there is no escape.
Nevertheless, we are all trying to look ahead with hope and will mark the Passover holiday—the festival of freedom for the people of Israel and a celebration of spring—as best we can, even though none of us knows what the next hours may bring.
We would also like to wish all of you a joyful holiday. Chag Sameach VeKasher. May it be a blessed time spent with those you hold dear.
With warmest regards,
Antje C. Naujoks
Public Relations and Resource Development
© Antje C. Naujoks, Neve Hanna Children’s Home
American Friends of Neve Hanna 