Next time you gasp in horror as your coke spills on a freshly cleaned suit, allow the kaleidoscope of your perspective to shift. Ruined clothing, missed appointments and burnt suppers are mishaps. Horror is horrifying. An eight year old child in Israel, whose worries should center on marbles and math tests, met up with a terrorist in his own back yard. The terrorist, awaiting his prey, stabbed the child and left him for dead. But he was not dead. Only his feeling of trust in the world in which he was born had died. The boy lived… terrified of every sound, no longer secure even in his own home. Concentration on schoolwork was impossible. No longer was he able to function in the world of eight year old boys.

Unknown to the terrorist, there was a second victim. An eleven year old brother had  witnessed the entire scene. Like his younger brother, his faith in the humdrum of the predictability of tomorrow was shattered. He refused to enter the yard and insisted that the shutters and doors be securely locked at all times. Overnight, the macho eleven year old became a quivering mass of fear, petrified to leave his home and almost as petrified to remain in it.

The parents, imprisoned in their own sense of dread, were unable to provide the emotional support for their sons.  The nightmare that colored their every moment continued until Ezer Mizion stepped in.

Ezer Mizion’s Terror Orphan Program provides professionally trained mentors who visit the child regularly, acting as a surrogate parent until the family is able to cope on its own.  The road to recovery is long and painful. Ezer Mizion’s Terror Orphan Program is designed to create stability in the lives of children and families traumatized by the sudden, violent attack of a terrorist. The project pairs children with individual mentors who provide companionship, emotional support, remedial assistance in schoolwork, and assistance in practical, day-to-day function of the family.

The G. Family was assigned a mentor for each boy. The mentors showered the children with love and warmth…slowly, slowly building up their trust… once again creating a solid structure of protection… allowing the boys to begin to venture forth without trepidation. Today the younger boy performs well in his class and his older brother is confidently making plans to go to Yeshiva high school away from home.

Ezer Mizion: restoring  sanity to a world gone insane!