Is this a dvar? No. It is a response to the many texts, whatsapps and messages of concern.
Back to the hotels. The volunteer-run kids program is the best organized volunteer project seen so far. Two active, organized leaders. Total team of 20+, split into at least eight groups:
Classes by age
Activities (sports, art)
Preschool/play area of smaller kids
I was paired with a woman to run the little kid play area. Most kids arrived with their parents, so there were 25-40 people in the room at a time. On the one hand, the kids were clearly having fun and the space was put to great use. On the other, there wasn't a ton for me to do (I handed out paper for the art table and picked up toys every few minutes). My teammate is a pro. A couple hours in she called for clean up time, and the kids picked everything up super rapido!
Ahhhh, preschool vocabulary....
If there is interest, and a supply of Dr. Seuss books, I could do reading hour in English.... TBD
In the courtyard there are basketball hoops and foosball.
Signs
One sign of an organized volunteer team is that it meets before and after the work day. At the after-meeting today a woman from the Ministry of Education was there. "What can the Ministry do for the amazing work you are doing?" From my chair, a janitor would help. The room was a mess this morning (picked up by yours truly), hasn't been vacuumed and the garbage is full.
Wonders
Lunch today: Shwarma. Shabbat leftovers are finished. The shwarma was great. It was at a strip mall in the Talpiot/Baka area. A little mall that has it all: Pizza, shwarma, wine, booze, dried fruits, freshly toasted nuts, grocery, drivers' education and e-bikes. (Don't want to bother with a driver's license? Buy an ebike and get going! The ebike probably costs the same as a driver's ed class!)
Thoughts
Nothing new. The press is full of three types of content:
Horror stories from massacre survivors
War stories of the first soldiers to move in on day one and two (sometimes with body cam footage)
New (but not unexpected): Accounts of Gaza border guards, who saw and reported alarming and/or notable new behaviors, and were told off. (c.f. Valley of Tears/Sh'at Neila)
Suggestion: Avoid video footage. Body cam footage is appearing on news sites, much of it released by the Israeli military. It includes material from both Israeli soldiers and Hamas terrorists. It is not, Raf thinks, healthy to watch.
Relief Area
alef
Videos to nap or fall asleep to. Phone or laptop a source of stress, distraction? Turn it into a sedative with napflix.tv!
bet
Shwarma place in the Talpiot/Baka area
Caption: We strengthen the security forces.
Soldiers and guards in uniform eat free of charge.
That is it for today.
Raf