Being a Catalyst
Monday, March 2nd, 2009The purpose of SICF has always been to heal the children, to restore some of the lost innocence to their lives and to rebuild for the Biblical heartland of Israel. But how does one accomplish that? As a fervent Zionist, I believe in doing, as opposed to just talking. As our new website clearly shows, we are mainly focused on supporting our central programs ——the therapy programs, educational projects, youth programs, and camps.
We feel blessed to have the support of friends of Israel from around the world. Our accomplishments are because of you who partner with us. But there is an accomplishment that I don’t often speak about — being a catalyst. Because we are supporting winning programs for children in need, other organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, are gradually wanting to join in. Because we are succeeding in our educational and therapeutic projects, meeting the needs of a multi-ethnic/socioeconomic population and working in schools that do not turn any students away, many parents whose children live well outside the zoned area of Gush Shiloh (the Shiloh bloc of communities) want to send their children to learn here, despite the fact that there are private, more homogenuous schools in their own areas. Furthermore, those who live here are becoming more and more optimistic for the future, despite the effects of war and terrorism that confront us daily. As a result of all this, the Therapy Center has been expanded and the local schools are bursting at the seams, which has spurred on the Education Ministry to approve the upcoming construction in Shiloh of a new, additional school building to meet the growing need. There are also new housing projects getting underway (after many years of stagnation), to meet the local demands of young families for housing.
In short, we are looking forward to the future— creating momentum and encouraging momentum!
David Rubin
Shiloh, Israel