British Emunah gives kids hope

EDGAR ASHER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

This year, British Emunah marked its 70th anniversary by launching their most ambitious project ever – the formal opening last month of the Neve Landy residential village for severely dysfunctional children. The project, estimated at about $5 million, is situated in Even Shmuel, a few kilometres south of the northern Negev town of Kiryat Gat. The village is named after the late Harry Landy whose wife, Gertrude, was the founding chair of British Emunah. Gertrude Landy's parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Nahum Williams, were also benefactors of British Emunah in the early years of its founding.

"One psychiatrist told us that if there were not available places like Neve Landy, the children would end up in a mental institution rather than having high hopes of re-entering the normal community," said British Emunah's Neve Landy projects chair and former British Emunah co-chair Daphne Kaufman. Kaufman, together with Emunah's London-based Israel liaison officer Judy Cohen were on a tour of the facility. Up until now, due to the acute need to house these children, temporary accommodation was arranged at Ein Tzurim, north of Kiryat Gat. Eventually the village will house some 60 children, distributed in five family house complexes each supervised by four madrichim – instructor/councillors, and by house parents who will look after all the children's day-to-day needs.

Neve Landy is not a school, yet it offers children, aged seven to 12, an opportunity to take their place in the community and have a feeling of self respect. The children who come to the village have been neglected, abused or hurt in other ways. "We are a rehabilitation centre for the children, not a long-term solution," points out Noam Wisper, Neve Landy's director. "Our aim is to return the children to society and most of all to their parents, whose co-operation we seek at all times. We are not a school for the children, we are a home for them. We want the children to feel that they live in a home and go to school."

The idea for Neve Landy came from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs who approached Emunah (emunah is Hebrew for faith or hope) about four years ago to see if they would take on this project. British Emunah agreed and the foundation stone was laid in January 2002.

Looks are important

The location of Neve Landy is very important. It took more than a year to find a suitable place to set up the village. It was felt that the children would benefit most of all if the village were located in more tranquil, rural surroundings rather than in the hustle and bustle of a town. The main single-story building in the complex, the Leo and Guggy Grahame Education and Therapy Centre, houses the administration, therapy rooms, library, music room, gymnasium and synagogue. Facing the main building, but separated by a raised area of lawn, trees and flower borders, are the five two-storey residential blocks. Each block is self contained with sleeping accommodation, dining area and lounge. The village is far removed from the more traditional "institutionalized" architecture usually associated with this kind of complex.

The children who come to Neve Landy are sent there because conventional schools are unable to cope with them. Many of the children could not even be accommodated in other Emunah homes around Israel because they were so destructive and disturbed and needed almost individual attention. Yigal Weinstein, the project's manager, explained why the village was so attractive.

"Our mandate was to design and build the complex to be as well-appointed as the budget would allow. There were two main reasons for this. First, we knew that the children came from low socioeconomic backgrounds and we wanted to make the whole environment inspire a positive attitude in the children. If the children see such a lovely place, it encourages them to look after it and have a sense of belonging. Second, Neve Landy was to be a U.K. Emunah project so they wanted something that would be suitable and attractive to raise funds for. We managed to satisfy both these targets."

Neve Landy aims to give the children all their therapies and, if required, medication on site. Therapy will include music, art, sports, activities and counselling.

"One of the important things is that everything will be done in partnership with the parents, they are very much involved and will also be working with the therapists," explained Cohen. "There will be regular meetings between the therapists and the parents. When appropriate, the children will be going home for periods of time. The whole idea is not to cut the children off from the family."

Joining in home life

Although Neve Landy is run on strictly traditional religious Jewish values, like all Emunah homes, children are accepted regardless of their religious background.

Wisper told the story of a 12-year-old from Dimona. " He came to Ein Tzurim at age 11, after only one year of formal education. The child was hyperactive and aggressive and had a lot of anger built up in him. He had not been given his prescribed medication on a regular basis and his mother, in desperation, sent him to an agricultural farm for three years, as this was the only place that could keep him. The child was so destructive and strong that he could hurt himself. The parents said that there is no way he could come home."

Wisper told the mother that the village acts as parent for the children only on a temporary basis. After the child had been at Ein Tzurim for some months he had a short leave at home. Wisper met the mother again and asked her how things were going.

"Everything is much better with him when he comes home for a visit and she said that maybe next year he will be able to come home permanently," Wisper related. "This is how we can help give the parents the feeling that they can deal with their child. It was the mother who wanted to see her child back in the home environment after previously being unable to deal with him. We want to work with the parents so that one day the children will be able to return home."

British Emunah religious women's organization has about 3,000 members in the United Kingdom. They are part of the world-wide Emunah movement which has branches in 27 countries. Currently, Emunah supports 225 schools and projects in Israel and British Emunah is responsible for 32 of them.

During British Emunah's 70th anniversary celebration in Israel, a large delegation from the United Kingdom went to the Neve Landy opening, as well as visiting their very first project in Israel, the Sarah Herzog Children's Home in Afula.

"The Sarah Herzog children's home in Afula started as a children's home for survivors of the Holocaust in 1948," explained Kaufman. "Later on, it also became a home for children who came from Arab countries and were refugees after the War of Independence. There were children from North Africa, Russia, Ethiopia and Iran. As they became refugees from their own countries we took them in this home. There we were most lucky in the early years to have a wonderful house father, Dr. Rothschild. He made these children into wonderful citizens of the state of Israel."

Emunah is playing a leadership role in helping Israel's more disadvantaged children, as well as in programs for adults and the elderly. It is more than just a fund-raising organization. It continues to support the institutions it helped build. Many children who might have fallen by the wayside have become valuable members of society in adulthood because of the care and love they received in an Emunah institution.

Today, many children from the ever-increasing numbers of low-income families in Israel face an uncertain future. Children are often the first to suffer from a worsening economic situation. Emunah will always be there to ensure that children will be given an opportunity to maximize their potential and play their full part in the community and, most importantly, in their own lives and homes.

Edgar Asher is with Isranet News and Media.

^TOP