Summer camps have provided a sanctuary for children in the Holy Land from the threat of falling missiles and rockets.
More than 600 young people across Gaza and the West Bank experienced “fun and freedom” thanks to summer camps supported by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem organises the camps in Palestine and Israel for young Christians every year.
But this year the start of the camps coincided with Israel’s conflict with Iran in June and the intense fighting that followed.
Father Louis Salman, chaplain to the Youth of Jesus’ Homeland (YJH) ministry, which ministers to young Christians in the West Bank, said: “The rockets started flying one day after our camp began.
“Of course, they were scared, and their parents were phoning us, saying they wanted them home. But we convinced them to let them stay.”
He said it proved to be a good decision.
He added: “We would get messages from the phone network 10-15 minutes before each strike, so we would gather them in the hall, and create a party environment, or talk to them about Jesus, so that they would not have to see the rockets overhead.
“It was better for them to be with us than to be at home, because we were there as a community, we were having fun and helping them not to be scared. But it was still a very strange experience.”
The YJH organises five different camps for 500 young people in different age groups, including one for young people under 22 who already work, giving young Christians in the West Bank “a taste of a different life”.
Fr Salman said: “It is so important, because they are breathing freedom. At home they cannot go and visit their friends, because of the roadblocks and checkpoints, so for them it is important to be there.”
More camps are also being organised in the Holy Land by the St James Vicariate for young Hebrew-speaking Catholics who face completely different realities and challenges.
Read more: https://acnuk.org/news/holy-land-children-find-refuge-in-summer-camps-amid-the-threat-of-falling-missiles/
By Nathalie Raffray and Filipe d’Avillez | acnuk
