I World Emergency Aid from page 23 war, but with dance they became very happy," she said. "The Ethiopian shoulder dance is good for releasing tension." During the war, Mazel Simone, 15, was asleep when she heard "noise like fire- works on Yom HaAtzmaut." She headed for a shelter, but couldn't persuade her father to come with her. "He said this is his coun- try and he didn't want to be scared:' she said. "Ethiopian people are very Zen." Academy For Youngsters Kiryat Yam, a pleasant seaside town near Haifa on Israel's northern coast, was heav- ily hit by Katyusha rockets during the war. Many of its citizens spent considerable time in bomb shelters, with little relief. The children were especially trauma- tized — some wet their beds, others were frightened by loud noises, some couldn't sleep or wouldn't leave their homes; vio- lence rose, and students found it difficult to concentrate on studies. Enter the Academy for Youngsters, a pilot program for 350 high-achieving ele- mentary school students. It is supported by JAFI and four non-governmental orga- nizations; IEC funds lowered the cost for the after-school program significantly. Students with academic averages of 85 percent or higher were admitted to the program after personal interviews. Then they chose classes — many taught by instructors from the nearby Technion- Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Haifa — in the fields of law, medicine, veterinary medicine, commu- nications, robotics, engineering and more. The program began last November. "I had a place to go study and learn new things that helped me forget about last summer," said Chen Shalev, 10, who studied law this summer and hopes to be a lawyer. "I had trouble sleeping for several months after last summer," said Aviv Laufer, 9, who studied veterinary medi- cine."The first siren after the war, I didn't want to walk around the streets or be out- side. Only in the last month am I willing to be at home alone." His mother, Hila, 32, works at the zoo, so he comes by his love of animals natu- rally. She says Aviv worried about their cat when they had to run quickly to the shelter. She hopes there's not another war, but says, sadly, she's not optimistic. She's grateful for the Academy for Youngsters, which has given her son tools for explor- ing his interests and for healing his soul. Aviv and his classmates serve as role models for other students, who want to raise their grades so they can participate next year. It's a win-win situation — students are engaged and motivated, with increased self-confidence and attention spans. Violence is down, and there's pride in the community. Other cities are interested in the pro- gram and there's talk of starting an acad- emy for teens. JAFI will fund the program through June 2008, with the municipality and others picking it up afterward. "This is helping to change the agenda in Kiryat Yam," says Moshe Luzon, general director of community centers in the city. "We're not talking about the woes of war and difficulties. The citizens will take pride in these kids." Detroit's Partnership Region "Last summer, the Detroit Federation was the first to say, 'We are here for you; what do you need?"' said Estie Bar-Sadeh, a leading psychologist in the field of trauma and chair of the volunteer committee in the Central Galilee, Detroit's Partnership 2000 region. "As quick as the first sirens, we had $750,000." The money was split between three municipalities: Migdal HaEmek, Nazeret Ilit and the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. Aviv Laufer, 9, right, studied veterinary medicine at Kiryat Yam's Academy for Youngsters. He practices taking a fellow student's blood pressure. 24 August 23 - 2007 Shiri Havkin's spice farm and natural cosmetics business was almost ruined by the war. She's receiving help from economic advisers through a special program. Half went to transport kids to camps in central Israel away from the bombs; the other half went to renovating community bomb shelters, at least 10-15 in each town. Still more funds are needed to fix addi- tional bomb shelters. "The partnership is one big family," said Ziva Ohayon-Recht, partnership director. "Our family in Michigan cares for us. Bob Aronson [Detroit Federation CEO] picked up the phone and offered support. Also, the Family To Family program was initi- ated then, and that provided about 400 connections [people] from Detroit to stay in touch with us during the war." Money from Detroit's IEC, which raised $15.2 million, also went to trauma relief in both the Jewish and Israeli Arab commu- nities. Four Arab psychologists received trauma training. With IEC money, "the level of psycho- logical training was upgraded, especially in schools and hospitals," Estie explained. "A lot of post-traumatic stress disorder goes undiagnosed. The training helped professionals identify children in need. It was the first time school therapy was pro- vided and that being reactive to stress was legitimized." As Estie says, volunteering doesn't come as naturally to Israelis as it does to Americans. Yet she's built a strong group that responded with its own initiatives during the war. One project provided soldiers with basic supplies. "We gathered people and called on business, then organized packages and buses for delivery:' she said. "Another initiative was to identify fami- lies who evacuated from farther north — they came to our area first — and to see what they needed. We offered toys, home hospitality, laundry. "That connection starts from the heart:' Estie said. Economic Boost Shin Havkin of Rosh Pina in northern Israel inherited her mother's spice farm and business selling natural herbs, oils and custom-blended lotions. Her cramped shop on a hilly street beside her home is a hodge-podge of tiny jars, small plastic bags filled with spices or teas — and wonderful smells. Though she says she didn't know how to run a business, her reputation grew in the Israeli New Age community and she drew many customers. "The war was a big blow to business',' said Shin, who relied on the summer tour- ist trade to boost sales. "And, like 6,000 other businesses in the north, cash flow was a problem. The bank bounced checks [and later forgave the penalties]. And because war was not officially declared, my com- pensation after the war was just one-fifth of what the tourist business would have been." Enter the Northern Galilee MATI, a small business development center offer- ing a range of tools and services to help businesses thrive. The program is a col- laboration with JAFI, JDC and several other agencies. The IEC contributed $18.5 mil- lion toward economic development in the Galilee. For about $100 a month, Shiri receives counseling services to help grow her busi- ness. She also obtained a one-time loan of $4,750 to help with her cash flow. Now she's working with a Canadian spa owner who wants to offer her cosmetics in the spa chain. What if there's another war? "I would have to sell my house," Shin said simply. "I can't do this again. But, for now, I am fulfilling my mother's dream." 11 Editor's note: An update on Partnership 2000 programs in the Central Galilee not related to the Israel Emergency Campaign and on pro- grams in Sderot will come in next week's issue.