Photo From Kfar Chabad Left President Herzog Emotional

By COLlive reporter

Israeli President Issac Herzog hosted a reception in his official residence in Jerusalem on Sunday to honor the 81st anniversary of the Hamifal organization for the advancement of at-risk children.

Founded in 1943 by the late Recha Freier, an Israel Prize laureate, Hamifal aims to educate and rehabilitate at-risk children aged 6-17 who have grown up in disadvantaged environments.

The organization provides a warm, supportive, and educational framework for over 800 at-risk and homeless children through seven youth villages, eight family dormitories, and two daycare centers.

One of the benefits of the organization is the Ohr Simcha educational campus in the central Israeli village of Kfar Chabad. It provides a nurturing environment to 300 boys ranging from 5 to 20 years old.

Rabbi Yisroel Shuraki, a resident of Kfar Chabad, joined the reception and brought with him a meaningful gift that left President Herzog emotional.

It was a black and white photograph of the president’s illustrious grandfather and namesake, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac HaLevi Herzog, Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisroel from 1936 until his passing in 1959.

In the photo, Rabbi Herzog is seen visiting Bet Sefer Lemlacha – the vocational school in Kfar Chabad, after the 1956 attack in which an Arab terrorist murdered a teacher and five students.

Rabbi Herzog’s visit provided much-needed encouragement and solidarity to the grieving community, which was deeply shaken by the massacre.

In receiving the photo, President Herzog asked for additional details about the visit and shared a memory of his meeting with the Rebbe. He then placed the photo in his office.

It was a timely gift, as the president has been dedicating his days to visiting and offering comfort to the families of victims and the wounded amid Israel’s ongoing war with its Arab enemies.