WHAT COULD YOU DO IN 15 SECONDS? or THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Imagine you are a 13-year-old, born and raised in Sderot, an Israeli community located less than a mile from Gaza. You’ve spent your entire life running to bomb shelters and away from terrorist rocket fire. You jump at the sound of a dropped object or a closing door – and you are not alone; an estimated 94 percent of Sderot children show symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Now imagine what it is like to hear the Red Alert siren for the first time in a town like Yerucham, in Israel’s Negev Desert. You’ve grown up far from Gaza, supposedly out of harm’s way. But now that Hamas rockets can reach further than ever before, you have just seconds to flee to safety.

With the crisis affecting so many Israelis psychologically and physically, the need for humanitarian assistance is tremendous. Through your gift to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund, you are bringing relief to those affected.

One child-friendly support program, called Hibuki, involves a huggable stuffed animal that offers children a sense of security and the means to express their thoughts and fears through times of danger and in months following. The program trains staff and parents to support their children – especially those who were already vulnerable due to disadvantaged backgrounds. During the recent conflict, Hibuki has helped 330 children who live in Israel's danger zones, as well as communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. Trained professionals are reaching out and offering guidance to them and their families at the kindergartens, schools and shelters where they are spending their time.