28 | JUNE 27 • 2024 
J
N

W

hen Keren Lev and her 
12-year-old son were evacuat-
ed Oct. 8 from Kibbutz Be’
eri 
to Ein Gedi after a terrorist attack on their 
home, she packed a small bag. For reasons 
unknown to her, when the soldiers came 
to rescue them, she brought her swimsuit 
along. In the months since, swimming has 
been a crucial part of her rehabilitation, 
she says. “It gives me a better feeling — 
my body image has improved, and I have 
become stronger in body and mind.
” 
She has been swimming as part of a pro-

gram called Swimming Toward Resilience, 
which has offered therapeutic swimming 
lessons to Oct. 7 survivors and Gaza 
Envelope evacuees. Started in collaboration 
with the Israel Psychotrauma Center in 
Jerusalem, the program has offered half-
hour lessons from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its orig-
inal funding allowing for lessons through 
Jan. 30, 2024, according to its funding page.
Swimming has become part of her life, 
says Lev, adding that she’s started swimming 
in the open sea and even signed up for a 
race. “It’s something I never would have 

dreamed I would do,
” she says. 
Big picture, she adds, the donors and 
swim school staff who rallied to help them 
in their time of need have been an inspi-
ration. “I want to thank them from my 
heart,
” she says. “It gives some hope that we, 
humans, can do good for each other.
” 
She’s swum with her son as a child-parent 
activity, in small groups and private lessons, 
she says. And during that time, she’s made 
new friends from another kibbutz, too. 
“The swimming staff has a strong con-
nection with us, not only in the pool, but 

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

Toward
Resilience

Israeli swim program is 
helping Oct. 7 survivors 
and displaced residents 
recover from the trauma.

KAREN SCHWARTZ 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Swim instructor Hadar Dikstein and her students, evacuees from the Gaza Envelope..

