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School Children to Discuss Gaza Op

CBN

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- When Israeli children head back to school on September 1, they'll spend the first two weeks in group discussions and other activities sharing their personal experiences and perceptions of Operation Protective Edge, the IDF's operation to combat Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

The Education Ministry is asking teachers to encourage their students to talk about how they and their families, friends and neighbors coped with the incessant rocket attacks and how life unfolded where they live.

Activities include video productions, photo albums, talent shows, field trips, music and culture days, etc., each tailored to different age groups and localities.

Children in southern towns and cities, many of whom spent hours with their families in safe rooms, will be encouraged to share any positive outcomes of the experience, especially in terms of resilience.

The two-week program ends just as the High Holy Days -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot -- begin, when festive meals, synagogue services and other holiday activities are the order of the day.

Celebrating the annual fall feasts helps to strengthen and confirm to Israeli youth that they're part of God's covenant land and people.

In a related story, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with youngsters in the rocket-battered town of Sderot Monday afternoon, a town that's been a favorite target of Hamas and other Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip.

In group meetings with the kids, Netanyahu encouraged them to open up about their personal feelings and experiences during the Gaza operation.

"The public's resilience, and yours, gives us considerable strength to use considerable strength," he told a group of teenagers. "We are in the midst of a diplomatic campaign. One needs the same thing -- one needs much strength, patience, persistence and wisdom as well."

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