3 minute read
Israel Engagement Committee: Adi Negev
24km from the Gaza border along Route 25 is the small town of Ofakim, famous these days for Safta Rachel, the cookie baker, who successfully held the terrorists at bay for 20 hours with her cooking. Nestled just past the western edge of Ofakim is the amazing community of ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran. This 40-acre village is the brainchild of Major General (res.) Doron Almog and his wife Didi, as they advocated for their son Eran, who was born severely disabled, and others like him.
They advocated for a community where children and young adults with severe disabilities and complex medical conditions could find a loving and nurturing home. In addition to the nearly three hundred residents, thousands of patients from the south of Israel receive outpatient care and therapy. A preschool where children with disabilities are integrated with their nondisabled peers has also been created. Its resounding success led to the creation of the Tikkun Olam program, allowing this integration to continue through high school, emphasizing inclusion and acceptance.
Our JNF (Jewish National Fund) volunteer groups were fortunate to visit Adi Negev and see for ourselves the community created here and to participate by playing with the children, seeing the beautiful grounds surrounding the residences, and appreciating all the care and planning that went into creating this village. There are stables and riding rings for the therapy ponies so beloved by the children, a petting zoo, calming water features, and an organic farm where vegetables are grown and where we planted cabbages in the field and potted seedlings for sale.
Most recently Adi Negev’s Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center has been an essential part of medical care in the south for the dozens of wounded soldiers and civilians. It is the only one of its kind in the south of Israel. A recent expansion has brought the number of beds to 108. Still more are urgently needed. The creative and nurturing spirit of Adi Negev-Nahalat Eran is alive and well and part of the fabric of resilience characteristic of Israeli society and so urgently needed after October 7th.
