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..