The European Ultimate Federation banned the Israeli Under-17 team after anti-Israel vandalism and threats led cities to refuse to let them compete.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Belgium caved in to anti-Israel activists Wednesday and kicked Israeli youth teams out of the Ultimate Frisbee European Championships with the agreement of the federation that runs the sport.

The Under-17s of the open and mixed divisions were first supposed to compete in Ghent, but in the late planning stages, the municipality and local police nixed their appearance due to their alleged inability to guarantee the teens’ safety after anti-Israel protests were planned and publicized.

The mayor even threatened to cancel the whole competition if the children took part, although permission had been granted for special Israeli security to come along to ensure the teams’ safety.

Another venue was located, far from the central site, after the Israeli Federation demanded that an alternate be found.

The Israelis also agreed with the Belgian conditions that their youths not participate either in the grand opening ceremony or any social events related to the championship.

Vandals then daubed anti-Israel graffiti at the site Monday night before the first round and threatened demonstrations, leading officials to inform the youth at 6 AM Tuesday that they wouldn’t be playing that day.

All of Tuesday’s games were postponed as Israel’s foreign and sports ministries, its Belgian embassy, and the Ayelet Association that oversees non-Olympic sports leagues in the country all got involved in the discussion of what solution could be found.

Late that night, the mayor’s office sent a message to the Israeli teams prohibiting them from even entering the venue as spectators, let alone compete, because the police were “unable to provide security.”

In parallel, the European Ultimate Federation announced in a statement that it had agreed to ban the Israelis from the tournament.

Calling the situation “sad, disappointing and unfortunate,” it asked “each and every participant, our Ultimate community, and all supporters to respect this decision and to show good spirit both on and off the field to continue to promote youth development within our sport.”

The Israeli Flying Discs Association (IFDA) refused to comply with the request for understanding.

“When Israeli teenagers are prevented from participating in an international competition because of threats, it is a surrender to terrorism and tacit consent to anti-Semitic activity,” said Association CEO Ayelet Ben-Zion.

“The Israeli team accepted security considerations and agreed to compete in a segregated venue – thus their complete exclusion from the games…is a complete disgrace that requires immediate discussion.”

The IFDA as a whole also expressed anger over the ban.

“We are angry because we see this as a political decision and not a security related one. Our security detail repeatedly say that there is no risk in us coming to any of the fields,” it said in a statement.

It also said it was infuriated “because the tournament was so eager to have a role in preventing a team from participating or spectating the tournament, just because of their nationality, which is discrimination by definition.”

Ayelet Association head Arik Kaplan said, “It is inconceivable that while the biggest sporting event in the world is taking place in Paris and the message of unity is on everyone’s lips – in a neighboring country, the State of Israel is being boycotted and teenagers are prevented from participating in the European Championship.”

“We are working with all the means at our disposal to punish the various parties, and are working to cancel the competition if Israel does not participate,” he added. “This is a very slippery and dangerous slope and must be stopped in its tracks.”

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Left, right, religious, secular, ultra-Orthodox, young and old, Israeli and Diaspora – heartwarming stories that are giving all Israelis strength during the war.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

There are many in Israel who cannot stand anymore to hear the news, the sad, the horrifying, the desperate stories that have not stopped since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7 and the IDF launched  Operation Iron Swords War.

They have instead turned to Whatsapp groups and other channels of social media that have been formed to show only how much good is being done in Israel, and for Israel, with the goal of raising the spirits of both the soldiers and those whom they left behind at home.

These are just a few of the stories that are making the rounds, of the Left and the Right, religious, secular and ultra-Orthodox, young and old, Israeli and Diaspora Jews who have jumped to help in this time of need, creating ten thousand points of light in a dark time.

GENEROSITY TO REFUGEES FROM THE SOUTH

Two hundred soldiers and 70 families from the south came on Friday morning to Beit Shemesh, to be put up in several areas around town. Within hours, families from all neighborhoods had filled in the Google sheets to cook all the necessary food and donate all the linens, pillows, blankets, and towels that were needed. This story was repeated in cities throughout the country.

On an even more generous scale, several contractors have donated dozens of newly built apartments for some of those made homeless by Hamas, such as the Ampa Yuval real estate company, which allocated 50 in Tzur Yitzhak in the middle of the country. Local chains contributed basic furniture and appliances – and dozens of locals made sure to clean them all, bring in the smaller necessary items, fill the pantries, provide games and toys, and applaud the families as they walked in.

SOLIDARITY FROM ABROAD

Pictures are being spread of the thousands of duffel bags of supplies being packed by American Jews that include everything from bulletproof vests to flashlights to hygienic products for the IDF. There was an unimaginable sight in some heavily Jewish neighborhoods in the U.S., said one person: The pharmaceutical sections in Costco stores, which have huge numbers of items in warehouse-like buildings, were completely empty. Jews had heard there was a need, and rushed to buy whatever they could find.

WHAT RELIGIOUS-SECULAR DIVIDE?

Videos abound of hareidi men and boys sitting in synagogues and learning halls creating thousands of tzitzit in army green for the soldiers. These are ritual undergarments that need strings tied in a special way to each of four corners in a laborious process. Other spiritual endeavors to help the military include Sanzer Hassidim learning Torah 24/7 in four-hour shifts to protect all of Israel from danger, and Soldier2Soldier, a group that matches a full-time Torah learner (and his family) with any soldier who wants someone dedicating their religious studies and prayers entirely to his safety.

HELPING THE SOLDIERS

Religious and irreligious people can be seen stand shoulder to shoulder singing and bringing cheer and goodies to injured civilians and soldiers in hospitals. Tens of thousands of children’s pictures wishing victory and safety to soldiers have been drawn and distributed to the troops, who in one post can be seen standing on a tank festooned with dozens of the cards. There are clips of weddings arranged on the spot in army bases so that those who thought the most wonderful day in their lives was ruined, instead have the most intensely special event as caterers bring in food and national icons come to sing to make them happy, while almost everyone but the bride is dressed in uniform.

Innumerable restaurants are sending hundreds of portions of fresh food to soldiers all over the country every day, even if they are closed to the public due to the security situation. When several eateries in Tel Aviv heard that the religious soldiers had to go without because the meals weren’t kosher, these secular owners made the spontaneous decision to make their kitchens kosher in an intensive cleaning process so that everyone could partake in the future.

The amounts of junk food being showered on the soldiers is already legendary, with jokes going around like one coming home for the Sabbath and asking his mother, “Is there anything I can bring you from the army?” And a picture of a hugely overweight man carrying a dozen backpacks and saying, “Now I’m ready to go into Gaza!”

Practical help for the troops comes as well, and from the most unexpected places. A tank officer from the 77^th Brigade told the story of his tank sitting broken down on the side of a northern road for 12 hours, and the lack of response from his chain of command for help. A civilian passing by asked if he can be of assistance, and the officer tells him, with half a smile, that he needs a lift to get to the Gaza Strip.

“Like many before him, he promised to try to help, but he looked like the last person who could do so… Two hours later, a tank transporter shows up, and we got to Gaza,” the officer said. And who was this fellow? In February, a group of reservists protesting against the government’s proposed legal overhaul stole a decommissioned tank from a memorial in the Golan Heights. “This guy, he was the one who helped us with his ‘enormous’ experience in getting tanks from one place to the next in sneaky ways, to bring our tank to Gaza!” he ended his story, adding, “Thanks. We love you a lot!”

THE INCREDIBLE YOUTH

With almost all schools closed, the youth of the country have been in the forefront in thousands of places, doing good, and testimonials praising them have flooded the internet. They collect and distribute goods to soldiers and those who fled the south, run fun activities for young children so their parents can have a break, bake goodies for the families of soldiers to remind them they are loved and not alone, among so much more.

One particular story of selflessness took place in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Most of the cleaning staff had not come in for a day or two, and the situation was getting urgent, an employee posted. At 6:00 a.m., 150 teens from the Bnei Akiva youth movement showed up and cleaned without let up for hours.

“I’ve worked in hospitals for many years and have never smelled such a good odor everywhere, like in a hotel,” the person wrote. “It was really so touching, because cleaning is not something that people usually run to volunteer for, and here, overnight 150 youth came.”

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HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard), founded to safeguard agriculture and uphold Zionist values, aims to strengthen the connection to land even during summer heat.

By Yulia Karra, ISRAEL21c

When you think of Gen-Z teenagers, you immediately picture them with a smartphone in hand, recording themselves for yet another TikTok video.

What you don’t imagine is seeing these teens with their sleeves rolled up, helping farmers pick produce and working the land.

Well, that’s where HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard) steps in.

Founded in 2007 to guard Israeli farmers from agricultural crimes like arson and theft, the volunteer organization also links Israelis and diaspora Jews more closely to the land of Israel and Zionist values through volunteering.

Teens of all ages, from all backgrounds, can volunteer for as little as a few hours a day to carry out a variety of agricultural tasks — each according to his or her ability — across the country, says Chen Shantal, director of the organization’s multi-day activity educational program.

“The biggest hardship today in the agriculture world is a shortage of working hands. The more modernized our society gets, the less people want to work hard physically — which is the basis of agriculture. Today, people want to make as much money as possible, while investing as little effort as possible,” Shantal tells ISRAEL21c.

The climate crisis and environmental changes exacerbate the problem. “If, for example, there are downpours in the middle of May or drought in the winter, or heat strokes, we get even more requests for assistance from farmers.”

Education always accompanies the physical tasks. “We explain [to the volunteers] why we are doing this instead of just importing all produce from overseas and why it’s important to maintain the connection with the land,” Shantal explains.

“The basis of the discourse here is the connection between man and land. In this case, it’s also impossible to ignore the climate crisis and the impact the human race has had on nature.”

All backgrounds

Shantal says Jewish volunteers constitute the majority, but there are also Arab Israelis who sign up to help.

Diversity in HaShomer HaChadash is not limited to volunteers. “Any farmer who appeals to us for assistance — whether he is Jewish, Christian, Arab or Druze — we will do all we can to help him,” Shantal says.

“We do all kinds of activities as part of HaShomer HaChadash, and all of it is open to all populations. Unfortunately, the percentage [among non-Jews] is much lower. But our mission is to connect to the land of the State of Israel, which has citizens of all ethnicities.”

Shantal adds that recently a HaShomer HaChadash community farm was established in the Bedouin village of Zarzir in the Galilee.

In addition, the organization is working with the Druze community as part of a project of Keren Kayemeth L’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF).

Summer camps

HaShomer HaChadash recruits adult volunteers during the school year, while in summer it appeals to teens who don’t want to “waste their holidays in front of the TV.”

Each July, the organization runs summer camps up north in the Golan Heights for kids ages 13 to 18 to experience “the agricultural journey.” In August, the organization offers similar activities down south in the Negev.

Besides agricultural work, the three-day camps include hiking, educational sessions and campfire dinners. This is open to families and individuals from abroad, as well.

Reut, a past camper, says the experience changed her life. She is now part of HaShomer HaChadash’s leadership program, helping new immigrants from Ethiopia who want to volunteer at the farms.

“I heard about it from a friend, came to volunteer at a farm near the Egyptian border and fell in love with HaShomer HaChadash,” she says.

The 18-year-old says she had never been exposed to such a diverse social environment.

“My friends from HaShomer differ from my background so much — we grew up in different environments, hold opposing political views, but still manage to remain friends. It’s possible only at HaShomer.”

Reut says she had always been indifferent to agriculture before her summer experience.

“The land educates us,” she says. “As you work, you think to yourself, ‘It’s hot, I’m sweating, I want to be in the pool, but I won’t give up.’ At the end of the day, you look at all the harvest and think, ‘Wow, I did that!’”

What about the day when all agricultural work will be done by machines?

“I am very afraid of that day,” says Shantal. “When you don’t have a part of you invested in a particular thing, that thing loses meaning and then it disappears. It can be your home, your land or your culture,” she adds.

“Our connection to nature and land is like air. You cannot live without it.”

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Nitzan Spiegelstein, who attends a pre-army ‘mechina” program, tells ILTV about a race he has organized to encourage young Israelis about to enter the IDF and to help soldiers suffering from PTSD and combat fatigue.

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The poll noted a “significant overlap” between religious identity and political attitudes.

By JNS

Israelis’ national pride remained stable in 2022, and a higher percentage of young Israelis identified as right-wing, according to the 2022 Israeli Democracy Index, whose findings were released by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) on Sunday.

“Pride in being Israeli has remained stable among the Jewish public over the years (multi-year average: 85.9%),” the poll found. Among the Arab public, 2022’s figure of 38% was much lower than the multiyear average of 46%.

However, the poll also found that since 2019 and until June 2022, there was a decline in the percentage of those surveyed who saw Israel’s situation as “good or very good,” and a rise in the percentage who said the situation was “bad or very bad.”

The survey found that over the last 20 years, a higher percentage of younger respondents than of older respondents identified as politically right wing (73% in the 18-24 age group).

The poll noted however that “in all age groups, the percentage of respondents on the right has consistently risen over the years.”

The poll noted a “significant overlap” between religious identity and political attitudes. In all religious groups a majority identified as right-wing, while the secular group was divided more or less evenly between right (32%), center (32%) and left (30%).

The strongest tension in Israeli society is between Arabs and Jews, the poll found. The Arab public viewed the tension between the two groups as the most severe in the 20 years the poll has been conducted. The Jewish public also rated the tension highest compared to most other years of the survey.

The Arab riots of spring 2021 pushed the numbers higher in both groups. While there’s been a decline among Arabs since then, the number has remained high among Jews “and even [rose] slightly in 2022.”

Public trust in state institutions declined across the board in 2022. Institutions that saw significant declines were “political parties,” the Knesset, the government, the media, the police and the Supreme Court.

The Israel Defense Forces and the President of Israel saw only slight decreases in trust in comparison.

When asked, “Israel is defined as both a Jewish and democratic state. In your opinion which component should predominate,” respondents who belonged to religious groups chose the Jewish component (Haredim—85%, national religious—77%, traditional religious—58.5%).

Among the secular, 51% said the democratic component should predominate. Fifteen percent chose the Jewish component and 31% said both components should be given equal weight.

Eighty percent of Jewish respondents said that crucial decisions regarding peace and security should be made by a Jewish majority. On decisions related to economy and society, 60% said a Jewish majority was necessary.

The survey was conducted on the internet and by telephone from May 22-June 21, 2022, and included 1,092 men and women interviewed in Hebrew and 219 in Arabic.

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Hadar Muchtar has been dubbed by some as Israel’s first “TikTok politician” because of her snappy videos and social media following. 

By Pesach Benson, TPS

The parents of Hadar Muchtar paid the Israeli Tax Authority 60,000 shekels after her failed Knesset campaign drew attention to the legal ownership of her apartment.

Muchtar has been dubbed by some as Israel’s first “TikTok politician” because of her snappy videos and social media following. She currently has more than 132,000 followers on TikTok.

Muchtar was 20 years old when she registered her party with the Central Elections Committee and ineligible for a Knesset seat, but she prominently spearheaded the campaign for Youth on Fire’s list of candidates.

She focused on corruption and cost of living issues — especially affordable housing. Muchatar said on numerous occasions that she couldn’t afford her own apartment, and that her Haifa apartment was owned by her parents.

But the campaign unraveled in September when it was disclosed that she was registered her apartment’s owner. Muchtar said her parents had paid for the apartment with the intention of renting it out for additional income, prompting tax officials to investigate.

Muchtar’s parents bought the apartment for 825,000 shekels in 2021.

The Tax Authority concluded that her parents were the apartment’s real — though unregistered — owners.

Following the revelation, Muchtar tweeted that the media was “lynching” her. She subsequently stopped all interviews.

Youth on Fire failed to secure any Knesset seats.

World Israel News contributed to this report.

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Report to Knesset shows exemptions to mandatory service on the rise, especially due to mental health exemptions.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

A report presented to the Knesset shows that one-third of Israeli youth are avoiding compulsory military service, Israel Hayom reported Thursday.

Data presented in the report showed the number of prospective recruits getting exemptions is on the rise, with most receiving a deferral on mental health grounds.

According to the report, one out of every eight potential recruits this year received an exemption from compulsory military service, above and beyond the 16% the draftable population that get exemptions because they are ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. Of those who do put on a uniform, 11% do not complete their service and are discharged early, the report said.

Knesset member Ofer Shelah of the opposition Yesh Atid party who chairs the Knesset State Control Committee said the numbers are “nothing less than horrifying.”

“The army of the people is collapsing before our eyes,” said Shelah, an IDF veteran who served as a company commander in the Paratroopers Brigade and lost an eye in combat in the 1983 Lebanon War.

“The numbers of exemptions on mental health grounds is approaching the percentage of Haredim who don’t enlist because they are in yeshiva, and one-third of potential male recruits simply will not be serving in the military. Where is the government? Not doing a thing,” Shelah said.

The head of IDF personnel and planning, Brig. Gen. Amir Vadamni, testified before the committee that the increasing number of Haredi exemptions reflected the growing size of the ultra-Orthodox community in the general population, but said he was most worried by the number of exemptions issued for mental health problems.

Vadamni said there is a new industry of generating exemptions that has led to nine percent of new recruits getting mental health exemptions.

“Pay 1,500 shekels [$460] and you are released. There is growing social legitimacy to not serve, especially not in combat roles,” Vadamni said.

“The generation of recruits has changed its profile and there is high awareness of psychological evaluation that was not common in the past, but there is [also] social legitimacy for not serving in the IDF,” Vadamni told the committee. “The ethos of service is being eroded.”

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“If it can happen in Gilboa, it should raise an alarm for all of Israeli society,” said regional head Oved Nur.

By Josh Plank, World Israel News

Itai Yitzhak, a 17-year-old resident of Gan Ner in northern Israel, was killed early Saturday morning in a brawl between teenagers from Gan Ner and the nearby Arab village of Muqeible.

Yitzhak was fatally injured with a sharp object during the fight which occurred near the entrance to Muqeible.

His friends took him to the nearby Emek Medical Center in Afula, where he was pronounced dead.

“He arrived in a critical condition. The doctors tried to save his life but unfortunately without success,” the hospital said.

Police have arrested seven people in connection with the investigation, including six teenagers and one man in his 40s.

The incident is being investigated as a crime and not an act of terrorism.

Oved Nur, head of the Gilboa Regional Council, told reporters, “We do not see this as an incident between the residents of Gan Ner and the residents of Muqeible, but an incident of a brawl between teenagers that ended in death.”

Nur said that it’s an event that could happen anywhere. “Especially, if it can happen in Gilboa, it should raise an alarm for all of Israeli society,” he said.

Nur described Yitzhak as “very much loved” by everyone in the community. “We want to see such a sapling grow into a great tree, and we are pained that he will only remain in our memory.”

Hisham Zaidat, a member of the Muqeible Council, said, “I speak to the residents of Gan Ner, and I send my condolences on my behalf and on behalf of all the residents of the village of Muqeible.”

“We have always lived in brotherhood and peace, and we will maintain bonds of brotherhood and peace within and between our communities,” Zaidat said.

Yitzhak was a 12th grade student in the Nir HaEmek Youth Village in Afula. He is survived by his parents, a twin sister, and an older brother who is about to enter the IDF.

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Aline Cohen is a teenage millionaire who is building a cosmetics empire while serving in the IDF.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

She’s barely 19-years-old, but this teenage phenomenon who owns a burgeoning cosmetics company and an impressive social media following is already a millionaire, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Sunday.

At 16, Cohen decided to start her own makeup company. Today, her products are sold in major chains around Israel as she works to market herself abroad. She has collaborated with international brands and was invited to Fashion Week in Milan and Paris.

If that’s not enough, she is also doing her military service in the IDF, participates in a TV series and was recently selected as one of Forbes Magazine’s 30-Under-30 list of promising Israeli entrepreneurs.

She owns three manufacturing and packaging plants, one of which is a ‘rehabilitation’ plant, which integrates workers with disabilities.

As a youngster, Cohen almost died when she was eight years old when a bicycle accident left her hospitalized in critical condition with a head injury. Her remarkable recovery and rehabilitation drove her forward and at the age of 13 she participated in a TV talent show. The exposure brought her fans who still follow her on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, watching her makeup videos.

Aline’s business manager is her father Yoram, a lawyer by profession, and her mother Miri was a makeup artist. Both parents put their careers aside and became part of the family business with one brother running logistics and the other marketing, while a younger brother is still in high school.

“It should be emphasized that the decisions are Aline’s,” Yoram Cohen said.

“I take in all the opinions – and in the end I decide,” Aline added.

“I’m proud of myself,” Aline said. “For every shekel I put in I want another shekel and I’m proud of it. The goal is to fulfill myself. To create, to strive, to inspire – but it’s also clear to make money. I will fight to succeed, to get the things I want. I have a lot on my shoulders. By choice.”

Aline Cohen has managed to turn the family from Hadera, 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of Tel Aviv, into the Israeli version of the Kardashians – and that seems to be just the beginning.

Armed with her smartphone, she also wants to conquer the international business arena, and she says she does not need favors from anyone. “I understand that if you have the ambition and the willpower – you can do anything,” Cohen said.

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A new army initiative will send combat soldiers to bars to meet youth and encourage them to go for a meaningful job in the army.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The IDF’s newest initiative to encourage enlistment in combat units will kick off at the end of the month in the nation’s bars, Israel Hayom reported Monday.

As part of Project “Only Combat,” active officers and fighters will go to where youth spend a good amount of time during their summer vacation, the local pubs. There, they will entertain the potential enlistees with their own stories of what it’s like to serve in front-line units, all in an effort to increase the teenagers’ desire and motivation to serve their country in the most active way possible.

The unusual mission will be implemented not only by the lower ranks. Among those participating in the first event, set for July 23 in Tel Aviv, is Lt. Col. Dana Ben Ezra, commander of Battalion 869, said the report.

“For me, the importance of the campaign is mainly the exposure of the youth, who are about to enlist, to combat service,” she told the daily. “At the end, someone has to do this job, and we need the best, who will do it with a lot of spirit and motivation.”

She detailed some of the advantages that could attract the teens to such units.

“On a personal level, this service can contribute to [their] development and empowerment,” she said. “The kind of experiences you have on a personal level as a fighter – it’s pretty likely that you aren’t going to meet them in civilian life, and this is a one-time opportunity that you should not miss out on.”

Ben Ezra also emphasized the importance of talking to the potential soldiers as a woman.

“It’s important to me to contribute from my own experience and knowledge, and speak with them simply and directly. To act as an example for girls before their enlistment, so that they will tell themselves, ‘I can forge a great path on my own, no less than and equal to the boys’ combat service.’”

In December 2018, the IDF stated that only 50% of those eligible to enlist actually joined the army and that among those who did, only a quarter went to combat units. It graded the top contributing cities and regional councils, giving more weight to those who have a higher percentage of people serving in combat and going on to officers’ training school.

None of the largest urban centers were even close to the top of the list. Beeersheba topped Israel’s big cities, in 26th place. Haifa was in the 38th spot, Tel Aviv was 48th, and Jerusalem trailed behind in 61st place.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that the IDF has decided to begin its pub crawl in Tel Aviv.

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Today marks the last day of a youth protest march organized by teenagers from the Gaza belt. Their destination is Wohl Rose Park opposite the Knesset. 

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Today marks the final day of the youth march organized by 12th graders from the Gaza belt against the government’s failure to stop Hamas attacks from the Gaza Strip. Its final destination is the Knesset.

Hundreds from across the country have joined the youth in solidarity. An expected 2,000 more will meet them at Wohl Rose Park directly across from Israel’s parliament this afternoon.

Demanding “a real change, a practical solution and a better future,” over 150 teens are marching some 90 kilometers from their communities near the Gaza Strip to the Knesset in Jerusalem.

The trek, which began at the Sapir College campus in Sderot, became harder due to the start of the rainy season. The teens received encouragement and support in a number of ways.

On Monday, at Moshav Lachish, an agricultural village in the northern Negev, Vicky Knafo was waiting to greet them. Knafo, famous in Israel for her solitary trek 15 years ago from her home in Mitzpeh Ramon to the capital – an even longer march – to protest a government cut in subsidies for single mothers, wanted to show how much she appreciated their struggle to be heard.

“I stand before you here and I’m filled with pride,” Knafo said. “It makes me emotional to see that today, too, after so many years, people still go out on protest marches, and even more so the young people. …. I want to tell you: Don’t let anyone stop you!”

She warned them not to allow anyone to politicize the event but to remain proud of their initiative, “even if you didn’t achieve a thing – because you deserve to live in peace and security and that the government takes care of you.”

Support from bereaved parents

Others, including youth from across the country, have been offering emotional support by promising to join the march and go to Jerusalem for the demonstration.

Representatives of bereaved parents of soldiers who died in Operation Protective Edge, the 2014 summer war with Hamas, also offered encouragement. One of them, Ofer Mendlowitz, who lost a son in the Golani brigade, said:

“We will join them not to express a political stance but to … support them and sharpen our  message that we, the bereaved parents of the Tzuk Eitan war, whose sons sacrificed their lives for the security of those who live in the Gaza envelope, want to return [to them] the quiet for which our sons fought and fell – a quiet too short considering our great and heavy loss,” Mendlowitz said, according to a Ynet report.

The teens started off on Sunday while, in parallel, their friends and neighbors protested the government’s apparent lack of sufficient action to stop the Hamas terror by blocking a highway that leads to the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

At a protest in Tel Aviv two weeks ago, hundreds of demonstrators sounded a simulated Code Red siren, which gives civilians 15-to-30 seconds to reach a shelter before a rocket lands, and lay on the ground to demonstrate what they have been experiencing over the past 17 years.

The organizers of the teen march are 12th graders from the Sha’ar HaNegev high school. Their goal is to raise awareness about the massive fires started by balloon arsonists, the violent protests organized by Hamas and Islamic Jihad at the border fence, and the sirens. It is in no way political, they insist.

‘We want to grow up quietly’

As Nitzan Ben Shoshan told Israel Hayom when the march began, “Our agenda is very simple. We, the youth who were born into this, want to grow up quietly; we don’t want to be invisible … When they [terrorists] shot a rocket at Beersheba, they [Israeli authorities] suddenly closed our schools, but when every night we have a fire and rockets, nobody knows and nobody sees.”

These youth are echoing eight of their fellow high schoolers who began a successful Instagram account about two weeks ago depicting life under constant threat of terrorism. Tens of thousands of people follow their posts on the social media site.

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