Emergency Relief Fund
“In Jewish history there are no coincidences.” - Elie Wiesel
Dear friends,
We had hesitantly started breathing easier. The large majority of Israelis 16 and over are immunized against COVID-19. We were open and serving our members ages three and up.
And then a new reality hit us, literally. Our doors closed once again on Wednesday, May 12th, and for 10 days we listened closely to Home Front Command, staying closed for the safety of our staff and members, but waiting for the moment we could reopen, for the mental and physical health of the people we are here to serve.
You may have heard that last week a rocket fell in Ramat Gan. Nothing in Israel is very far away but this truly hit home. Thankfully all our staff and members are fine, but it was not a simple situation, in particular for people with disabilities who are less able to get away or be mobile when necessary.
Sunday the 23rd of May we reopened all our programs and we are hoping for continued quiet times. 2021 has been shaping into one of the most taxing years in the history of the ISCD. Fifty percent of our income is from services sold and ten days of closed doors mean 10 days of missed revenue.
But things also continued on to the best of our abilities, sometimes extraordinarily:
- The wheelchair tennis team qualified for the World Team Cup which is a great achievement.
- Our under-22 wheelchair basketball team participated in a training camp at Wingate Institute.
- Our wheelchair basketball player and coach, Lior Dror, won the President's Medal, for his remarkable work at the ISCD with children and youth with disabilities.
- And support groups continued to take place via video.
It is times like these that we appreciate more than ever the support we have from you, our dear friends.
Thank you for being there for us during these crazy times.
Boaz
