The 240 children who live at Beit Elazraki have been orphaned or come from troubled backgrounds where their parents may have been incarcerated or have drug or other serious issues. Some of the children have been beaten, abandoned and/or molested. Yehuda Kohn has found a way for each of the children to feel part of a family. Each child is given the love and respect necessary for them to grow to be happy productive adults. It is very easy to write this section because of what we saw in the rooms the kids share. There was always one extra bed in the room. Yehuda smiled and told us that the reason for the extra bed was that he wanted the children to be able bring home a friend from school for the weekend. Yes, the dining room looked like a boarding school or camp, but the smiles and inner contentment that we saw showed us that these kids were getting a chance to grow up normally. There are Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s, there are weddings.
I asked Yehuda to give me a typical story of a child who lives at Beit Elazraki:
Lior, 16, is one of the children living at Bet Elazraki Children's Home. Even in elementary school Lior did not find himself in the school system; he hardly ever sat in class, spending the days outside, and when he did decide to go in he did not stay there for more than 5 minutes. No subject or teacher could get his attention. The school had given up on him and at a certain point did not even attempt to educate or discipline him. At home he associated himself with a bad group of kids. The future was pretty grim for him. Lior came to Bet Elazraki a couple of years ago and immediately entered our after school tutorial program. He was given a personal tutor. Before we could start working on Grammar, Math and Science we needed to work on Lior's basic learning skills. We needed to teach him what to bring to class, how to sit in a classroom, how to address his teachers and classmates, the basics! We had to teach Lior what it means to open a book and complete an assignment. The process was slow and frustrating at times, especially for Lior. We were in daily contact with his teacher at school and she gave and received follow up reports constantly. Slowly but surely Lior realized that we are here to help, that he can succeed. Today, Lior attends the 10th grade, as a regular student. He goes to class, does his homework and there are no special problems with him. Attending school regularly and turning into a normal productive student has also done wonders to his self-esteem. Lior has definitely changed. He finds studying interesting and inspires for more achievements and we will continue to be there for him and to present to him more challenges. Lior, like all of our graduates, and thanks to the support of our friends will go to university and make a future for himself.
Over the last year, we have given almost $37,000 in grants to install new security cameras and smoke detectors, renovate the backyard into a play area, repair their basketball court, to buy dishes, fill their “presents” room, to buy computers and most recently paid for a part time therapist to start an anxiety therapy program. This year, we are asking our donors to designate:
$12,000 for a complete makeover of the toddlers and young children's living room. Yehuda wants to make it a magical room for the kids to hang out in
$8,640 for 12 new air conditioners ($720 each)
$8,500 for a therapy room. Due to the constant increase in the number of children growing up at Bet Elazraki, they are in desperate need for more space that will serve as a therapy room
$6,945 for a new industrial washing machine
- $1,500 per child per year for one-on-one tutoring