Calanit & OTZMA wish you a Happy New Year

Mayor Benny Vaknin at Calanit Absorption Center spoke in English, Hebrew, French & Spanish, welcomed Otzma and the new immigrants in Calanit to Ashkelon, and wished everyone a very

HAPPY NEW YEAR

SHANA TOVA !

Benny Vaknin, Shlomo Cohen & Sofa Beilin

Mayor Benny Vaknin & Deputy Mayor Shlomo Cohen

Otzmanikim

Otzmanikim put on a show

Deputy Mayor Shlomo Cohen

Alizka Yarden, Director of Calanit & Sigal Ariely

SHANA TOVA from Otzma !

More photos of the "Haramat Kosit" at Calanit Absorption center can be seen at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nikirose/Calanit16Sept09ShanaTova#

Farewell OTZMA 2009, Lehitraot!

L-R: Warner, Suzanne, Jamie, Sigal, Emily, Jared

Our five Otzma volunteers have spent two months living and volunteering in Ashkelon. Emily, Jamie, Suzanne, Jared and Warner will be leaving Ashkelon tomorrow, to face new challenges in Israel and abroad.

During their time in Ashkelon, these five young people made an impact wherever they went. They stayed at Kalanit student absorption center. They volunteered at Rotem and Harel Primary Schools, and also at a number of Moadoniot (child care facilities), at the Tali kindergarten, at Beit Tzipora after-school program, Beit Canada absorption center, at Burton community center and at Halperin Home for the Elderly.

Ashkelon host families opened their homes and hearts to our 5 volunteers, who felt that the hospitality they received was like "a home away from home". Strong, warm connections were made.

In between volunteering, our Otzmaniks found time to go to the beach, ride their bicycles around Ashkelon, exercise at the gym, socialize with Ashkelon's young people, attend some pop concerts, and even skydive.

We hope that this important program will be repeated. (Nicole)

Yet Another ceasefire rocket fired on Ashkelon

We didn't really think it's all over , but the reminders are very scary. We were driving back from Sderot around 1 o'clock , coming back from Nihum Avelim (Shiva, mourning condolence call) , our friend lost her mother , and she lives in Sderot . Anat , the municipal spokesperson was in the car with us, she has a bipper that rings whenever there's a siren . We were far from Sderot, no sirens , so all we felt relieved. As we were driving through the industrial southern area her bipper annonced a siren , in the ... southern industrial area!!! We heard nothing (the radio was on , windows closed and we 4 were all talking). As we reached the municipality building poeple said that the siren was heard in the southern neiborhoods and so was the rocket that fell in an open field. Another one fell in the sea . I was happy that the siren wasn't heard all over Ashkelon , so the children didn't hear it , again... I called my "other kids"- the Otzma students. 2 of the girls were out, shopping, they ran in circles because they had no idea where to run. They are all ok. Tomorrow a psychologist is coming to speak with them .

Otzmaniks: An eventful first day

Our 5 Otzmaniks arrived in Ashkelon yesterday evening to start their two months of community volunteer work in Ashkelon. Emily, Jamie, Suzanne, Warner and Jared are full of motivation and energy and looking forward to getting to know Ashkelon and making their mark.

This morning they were woken by the rocket-attack siren, and ran for the stairwell, along with other Kalanit student residents. According to Alizka Yarden, charismatic head of Kalanit, the building is very strong, built of prestressed cast concrete blocks. There are two bomb shelters inside the Kalanit building, one of them houses a small gymnasium, and has equipment and a trainer.

Alizka, a warm and wonderful woman who looks after Kalanit's residents

After a breakfast meeting with Sigal & Nicole, and Dganit head of Otzma program, everyone headed out to see the volunteer locations.

Despite the early morning grad wake-up, it was a sunny, beautiful day today, and everyone in Ashkelon was out and about as usual. Together we visited Halperin Home for Senior Citizens, a number of "Moadoniot" (child care facilities for at risk children) and spotted the locations of the elementary schools where some of the Otzmaniks will be working.

Making friends at the Moadonit

The little ones, taking their mid morning nap inside the shelter

It was a busy morning but our Otzmaniks had the afternoon off to get organized at Kalanit, and will start working tomorrow.

See more photos of OTZMA Here (Nicole )

Red Alert for Otzma

Otzma in Ashkelon!

Five Otzma-niks will be coming to live and work in Ashkelon for 3 months from January 2009. They have already spent a weekend in Ashkelon getting to know their host families. The 5 Otzma-niks were in town on 5th November to see where they will be living and to look at various volunteer options.

Otzma 2008-2009 in front of a mosaic made by Otzma-niks of previous years, Beit Canada

First stop on their visit was Ashkelon municipality. No sooner had they arrived in the building, when the Red Alert siren sounded. Ceasefire Shmeasefire, we are still experiencing the occasional rocket attack. The rocket landed in another neighborhood and luckily caused no damage, but our Otzmaniks were reminded that life in Ashkelon will be something of an adventure.

The tour of the city proceeded with stops at Netzach Yisrael community kindergarten, Beit Canada absorption center, Calanit student absorption center, Bet Tzipora, and afternoon day care facilities for children at risk. Nicole

Oriana Haddad outlines volunteer options for working with Ethiopian new immigrants at Beit Canada Absorption Center

Report from our Otzmaniks: "We are eager and excited and looking forward to being in Ashkelon! We love our host families and already love the city, can't wait to live here, visit the beach, and the marina, find our favorite felafel store, and shop at the shouk".

Alizka and Esther of Calanit student absorption center hosted our Otzmaniks for lunch and showed them the rooms where they will be staying from January 2009. The rooms have been newly renovated and furnished.

Lunch at Calanit

Meir Bouhnik of "The Ashkelon Foundation" ("Keren Ashkelon") and Mazal, Head of Bet Tzipora, show the Otzmaniks around Bet Tzipora - a joint project with Eli and Marion Wiesel

Reality Reminder ....

Shalom ! I just got back from my trip to Baltimore and the Diller -Teen exchange progam conference in San Francisco . Since I lost my camera on the way back, no pictures for now... sorry... ! This morning in Ashkelon the Red Alert sirens at the industrial area were operated 3 times, due to kassam rockets launched in our direction. At 9:30 we heard the alarm, loud and clear (one of the sirens is located on the municipality building roof, just above my head). We ran from the 4th floor which is all glass windows to the hallway of the 3rd floor. A few seconds later we heard the boom. Luckily the rocket hit a grass lawn , in one of the neighborhoods close to where we were... No casualties, no damage ! My son was on his way to the bus taking all his class mate to an overnight field trip. They rushed the students back to the building, and after a while they left as planned. He called me to say that they heard the boom very loud because the rocket fell very close to the school . We also had guests with us this morning, 6 Otzma volunteers (3 from Baltimore ) who came to visit some of the places they will be volunteering at from January. They were on their way to the municipality as the siren went. They were very calm, unlike their madricha who REALLY panicked... Things are back to normal , and we continued their visit as planned . They had a really good story for folks back home. Sigal