Devastation and Dragons

Coping with War

It looks like things are heating up again with Iran. I think that most people in Israel have mixed feelings about this (as opposed to most people in America, who only have either wholly negative feelings towards it or wholly positive feelings). Here in Israel, people seem to understand that it is necessary and important to weaken the regime as much as possible. At the same time, we are painfully aware that fighting Iran comes at great cost.

I suspect that outside of Israel, people only think about that cost in terms of the casualties and devastation caused by ballistic missiles. Here in Beit Shemesh we are particularly sensitive to that, with nine people having been killed by one missile that was not intercepted, along with two other missiles that hit in our area without casualties but causing considerable damage. (Unnervingly, I triangulated the center of the three points of impact, and got my home address.) But there are other types of suffering which, while less serious than being hit by a ballistic missile, are far more widespread.

There are the people working in the tourism industry - guides, hotels, other businesses - who suffer enormous loss of business, again. There are the children who suffer the trauma of war and who missed school for even more weeks in six years of craziness. There are the parents of these children who have to juggle their jobs alongside having the kids at home all day. In an example of the black humor that is prevalent in Israel, when it was reported about how the IRGC started accepting 12-year-olds for military training, one Israeli mother commented לפחות יש להם מסגרת - “At least they’re in a framework!”

In the weeks since the war abated, it’s been heartwarming to see the schools returning to visiting my museum, the Biblical Museum of Natural History. The museum’s hands-on, experiential tours allow children to step into a world where Torah, nature, and the Land of Israel come alive. Holding a bearded dragon is a magical experience for them. For many students, these visits are not only educational—they are uplifting and therapeutic after a difficult period.

At the same time, this year has brought significant challenges to the museum. The war lost us vital income during what is usually one of our busiest seasons. And while the demand from schools is now high, such visits need to be heavily subsidized in order to ensure accessibility. Most schools, especially chareidi schools, simply don’t have the budget.

If you believe, as we do, in helping these children reconnect to learning, nature and their national identity in a joyful way, please help to make these visits possible.

A gift of:

• $20 sponsors a visit for one child

• $100 sponsors visits for 5 children

• $500 supports a class of 25 students

• $1000 supports an entire bus of 50 students

Thank you! Here is a photo of a group enjoying learning about hippos and crocodiles from one of our wonderful guides. (There is a very interesting story about this particular crocodile, which arrived at the museum last year, but it’s I cannot post it here because it’s a sensitive matter and these posts appear publicly on the internet. If you’re a paid subscriber, then you’re able to read it in the paywall-locked section below that does not appear online.)

Please donate here to give children the chance to get out, learn, explore, and reconnect with their heritage in a meaningful and memorable way!