Twenty-five Israeli teens are currently touring North America with the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization (IDFWO), the official representative organization for the families of Israel’s fallen soldiers. The participants all recently celebrated their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs together in a festive mass IDFWO ceremony in Jerusalem, attended by the President of Israel and other dignitaries. It is customary among many Israeli families to take their children abroad for a fun vacation to celebrate their coming of age, however, for the families broken by war, this is often not possible. The group visited Canada and Chicago last week and will be touring New York this week.

Jewish communities across North America made the trip possible by opening their hearts and homes. With the group staying at host families in Toronto, Chicago and across New York. In addition, they will be participating in Camp Ramah to further strengthen the bond between Israel and the diaspora for future generations.

Highlights of the trip so far have included pool parties, canoeing, Six Flags amusement park, watching the Chicago White Sox, Niagara Falls, Madame Tussauds, Time Square and even a visit to Walmart. All programing is designed to give the youngsters a break from their day-to-day responsibilities and enable them to build life-long friendships in a comfortable environment with peers that share a common bond.

For many of the group, it is their first time abroad making the program even more significant. Everyone brings a unique personal story; some were mere toddlers when their father or mother didn’t return. For others the wounds are still raw from the recent operation in Gaza two years ago.

Shlomi Nahumson, IDFWO Youth Director commented: “This trip is a life changing event for everyone involved, the participants, the counselors and even the host families. We come to celebrate life and temporarily ease the emotional baggage that these children carry with them daily. Watching us from a distance, smiling, laughing and enjoying, you wouldn’t realize the pain and anguish these children have suffered from such an early age. At home they often have the chores and responsibilities of an adult, while at the IDFWO Otzma programs they are allowed to be children again, albeit temporarily.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)