There is something special about the month of Adar in Israel, and with the leap year, we have been able to extend the euphoria.
The joyous spirit engulfs the country and in the days leading up to Purim, the streets are filled with children who are giddy with excitement as they walk to school in pyjamas or funky hats, dressed as regal princesses or courageous superheroes. Telfed events and activities have added to this festive atmosphere.
Looking up
As Israel proudly launched Beresheet — a spacecraft that will place Israel in an exclusive group of countries to have launched and landed on the moon — Telfed partnered with STEM media company StellarNova to share their delightful book ‘The Little Spacecraft’ with our young olim.
Story-time, in English, gave young children an opportunity to understand the significance of Israel’s achievement through the story of Berrie, who was told that “a tiny little spacecraft like (her) could never reach the moon”.
A lesson about pioneers and perseverance, with an Israeli flag flying proudly, our young audiences were captivated as they learned about Beresheet’s star trackers and space travel.
Looking in
In coordination with volunteers in communities spanning the length and breadth of the country, Telfed has arranged for the delivery of mishloach manot to over 100 of our lone soldiers — both olim (new immigrants) and Machalnikim (overseas volunteers).
Southern African olim signed up to donate to this drive and to assist with packaging and distributing these baskets of treats for our soldiers. Connecting with lone soldiers has been a priority for Telfed and, to make this easier, we are excited to have a new ‘Lone Soldier Whatsapp Group’ with our staff and our soldiers.
Looking forward
From space to soldiers to students… As we look to the future, Telfed continues to emphasise education.
At the end of March, Telfed’s annual scholarship ceremony takes place. Once again, we are proud to allocate over 500 scholarships to students at tertiary institutions in Israel through our three scholarship programmes. Financial needs scholarships are awarded to students who need assistance in covering tuition costs. The 5500 Shekel PRAS Scholarship focuses on volunteering in the community, whereby students partner with olim families, the elderly or those with special needs and commit to 90 hours of community service.
Finally, SASI (Southern Africans Studying in Israel) offers a housing subsidy to students who are studying in Israel on a tourist visa.
As we look to the future, a focus on our youth has been a fitting end to our 70th birthday celebrations at Telfed.
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Read more about Telfed in the Chronicle here and here
Click here to download a PDF of the April edition of the Chronicle
