Less than 24 hours after enduring two rocket attacks fired from Gaza, the girls of Or Chaya school pulled together a special kinus in the spirit of Shnat Hakahal and Ahavat Yisrael. Chabad Ashkelon operates the first Friendship Circle in Israel and the girls of Or Chaya are integral players, their kinus today was to incorporate more girls into the program which assists children with special needs.
Rabbi Moshe Vilenkin opened with divrei Torah, Ms. Sarit Oriyan blessed the girls for their enthusiasm and desire to help all of Israel. The highlight was when a mother of a child with special needs shared how the involvement of the Friendship Circle girls from Or Chaya enriched the life of her child with downs syndrome. Last year’s participants were awarded letters of recognition.
The Friendship Circle will be coordinated from Chabad of Ashkelon’s recently opened Shlavim Center, the most advanced special therapy center in the region. The girls and their special friends will be able to meet for a variety of activities at Shlavim Center, all the while allowing the parents of the special needs child a much-needed break and opportunity to focus on their other children.
