This summer, JCC Chicago camps will welcome nearly 5,000 children, tweens, and teens from across the Chicago area, the country, and the world. At JCC Camp Chi, more than 130 campers from Israel will spend two or more weeks at camp, an incredible respite, and change of pace from the disruption of their lives in Israel since October 7.
Among the Israeli campers will be six children from Kiryat Gat, part of JUF's Partnership Together region, selected from nearly 40 candidates.
"The Partnership wanted to ensure that the campers chosen would truly be the best fit for this experience," said Ofer Bavly, a JUF Vice President and Director General of the JUF Israel Office.
Parents of one of the Kiryat Gat-based campers planning to attend Camp Chi said this: 'You don't know how exciting it is to know that [our child] was accepted to the camp. You don't understand how much power it gives us at home. [My husband] and I are working around the clock since October seven and it's a blessing for us as parents in uniform that our child is an ambassador for this wonderful country -- the only country we have. Thank you for the privilege of being a part of this program."
In addition to this support for kids from Kiryat Gat, a grant from JUF's local Israel Emergency Set-Aside will help address the needs of 80 children from the Gaza envelope through a partnership with JAFI and four midwestern camps. Grant funds will specifically be used to cover the mental health supports embedded in the programming.
The Camp Chi experience for these campers is being fully and generously funded by Robin and David Nankin.
