Swimming Toward Resilience
A Swim Education Project for October 7th Survivors and Gaza Envelope Evacuees
![](https://my.israelgives.org/AppImages/fundpage/original/EvacueeSwimSchool/f6ae2238-ef78-48af-9163-2befa667fbb0.jpg)
With the understanding of the benefits of swimming for the body and mind, a former Israeli national water polo team player and a university professor decided to give back by starting a project to teach swimming to October 7th survivors and evacuees from the Gaza envelope.
While volunteering in trauma relief at the Dead Sea hotels where evacuees from Sderot, Kibbutz Be'eri, and Kibbutz Holit were staying, Dr. Ayelet Rahat noticed the lack of routine for the children. She teamed up with Coach Yahel Murvitz Lahav, who wanted to contribute his skills and time, and he began giving swim lessons to children from the age of 4 to adults (up to 70 years old), as well as to people with disabilities. Avishai Zipkin, an educator volunteering at the hotel, began assisting in the endeavor by building the instructor schedules, interacting with the families, and being onsite during the lessons.
The large crowd ready to participate on the first day made it clear how great was the need, and the onsite educational and mental health staff encouraged the team to expand the activity as much as possible.
The Issues
The evacuees at the Dead Sea hotels who have come from the kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope that Hamas attacked on October 7th and the City of Sderot are suffering from anxiety and post-trauma stress disorder. They live with the horrific memory of the events of October 7th, as well as trauma from the fears associated with having to run to shelter within 15 seconds from the Hamas rockets, and the constant fright from the loud sounds of the rockets and Iron Dome receptions.
Many of the evacuees come from the city of Sderot, which compared to the kibbutzim members, lack organization as a community. There is no routine whatsoever, children are not in any framework and have inadequate adult supervision.
Therapeutic Swimming Lessons
![](https://my.israelgives.org/AppImages/fundpage/original/EvacueeSwimSchool/84084868-a14b-48de-ab9a-17704f8e1a6e.jpg)
The swimming lessons that Dr. Rahat and Coach Lahav started quickly expanded to a team of four instructors and two logistics staff who traveled from central Israel for three days each week. The instructors provided bi-weekly lessons to 150 children and adults, about 80 half-hour lessons per week in total. The project also added coached swimming training for athletes.
At the beginning, lessons were taught at many different hotels in the Ein Bokek area. Once winter came and most outdoor pools were too cold, they were moved to Kibbutz Ein Gedi’s warm indoor pool. In collaboration with the Transportation Ministry, shuttles were arranged for the participants from the Ein Bokek hotels to Ein Gedi. This movement allowed the continuation of the lessons during the cold winter months and to expand the project for evacuee communities staying at Kibbutz Ein Gedi.
Collaborations
![](https://my.israelgives.org/AppImages/fundpage/original/EvacueeSwimSchool/41df53fd-fc49-4094-990a-5512a1886ab0.jpg)
The project started in collaboration with the Israel Psychotrauma Center in Jerusalem, whose employees came to work onsite to heal the wounds of the people affected by October 7th. The traumatic state of people at the beginning didn’t allow for “conventional” psychological intervention. It was apparent at this stage, when people are out of their homes and daily routine, that there was a need for other ways of healing. The psychologists encouraged the development of the swimming school as therapeutic trauma support.
Shimrit Shelfrok from Sderot, a mom of two children participating in classes, was determined to get financial support. She approached Ayelet Nahmias Verbin, a former parliament member, currently the head of “The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for Victims of Terror.” The Jewish Agency for Israel provided the project’s original funding of 60,000 NIS through January 30, 2024. The financial support received enabled the operation of the school until the end of January.
Recently, it became clearer that the evacuees are going to be away from their homes for a much longer period. Some of them will probably stay until the summer. Therefore, the need for funding is urgent otherwise the school will close.
Developing a Formal Swim School
![](https://my.israelgives.org/AppImages/fundpage/original/EvacueeSwimSchool/ba90a5bd-7eac-4ff4-abc9-f924084c60ad.jpg)
They now have established a formal swim school that provides routine lessons for children, adults, and people with disabilities. The school holds lessons on fixed days and hours to establish a routine for the evacuees. The lessons are taught by certified instructors, all of whom have several years of experience in the field.
The activity days start at 8 a.m. and end at about 7 p.m. The duration of a lesson is half an hour, and the size of the group is according to participant levels. One instructor teaches about 20 to 30 children and adults per day. In addition to the swimming instructors, at every pool, a logistics coordinator is present to organize the day’s activities.
Dr. Rahat and Coach Lahav have handed the baton to Hadar Dikstein and Ella Azaria to direct the program (biographies below).
The Impact
The participants and parents have received the lessons with joy and appreciation. We have also received enormous support and encouragement from the mental health professionals who are also helping the evacuees at the hotels. These professionals, who are experts in the field of trauma, agree that the swimming lessons impact the evacuees in the following ways:
- Improve mental health, reduce stress, improve mood, provide a sense of achievement, increase energy, and release feel good hormones. This is true for all sport activities.
- Provide the evacuees with a new sense of competence due to the learning of a new skill.
- Create a sense of routine due to the regular activity of the bi-weekly lessons. Researchers have found that sustainable daily routines can markedly improve mental health. The right routines make people happier and can help decrease or even eliminate the symptoms of several mood disorders.
- Create a supportive environment where individuals can discuss their concerns, anxieties, and successes. This emotional support helps individuals feel understood and validated, fostering a sense of stability during times of uncertainty.
- Facilitate referrals when additional help is needed. This happens through building trust, enabling open communication, close range observation of needs, and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Leadership
![](https://my.israelgives.org/AppImages/fundpage/original/EvacueeSwimSchool/b3f17d3a-8367-496f-beb2-47886f271561.jpg)
Ella Azaria, Co-Director (left)
Ella Azaria has been teaching swimming since high school when she earned her Swim Instructor Certification from the prestigious Wingate Institute. Wingate’s rigorous course included in-water, poolside and classroom studies as well as CPR training and certification. Wingate is a member of International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, the European College of Sport Science and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, and as such, implements teachings from international training institutions. The school also maintains close links with the Israel Olympics Committee, the Israel Athletic Association and the competitive sports division of the General Federation of Labor in Israel. After several years of teaching at the Maccabi Sport Association and elsewhere, Dr. Leonid Kaufman, Former coach of the Israel swimming team, personally invited her to participate in the Elite Swim Coach Certification Course at The Levinsky-Wingate Academic College. The yearlong course met weekly for six hours to teach advanced coaching skills for junior to elite level swimmers. The focus was technique, stroke development, fitness, and psychology. She is formerly a competitive swimmer with the Maccabi Sport Association.
|
Hadar Dikstein, Co-Director (right)
Hadar Dikstein holds a master’s degree in clinical health psychology, specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents. Additionally, she holds certifications in sports and performance psychology and swim instruction. She developed and facilitated four personal growth therapeutic groups for adolescents and adults, using sports as a therapeutic medium to enhance personal growth. She is the co-author in the submission of five psychological studies for international journals. She has also been swim instructor for children, adolescents, and adults on a private and group basis for fourteen years. Hadar was a competitive swimmer in her youth at Maccabi Tel Aviv and she continues to participate in national Masters competitions today. After her military service in Intelligence, she earned her BA, from Tel-Aviv University in psychology and philosophy; Diploma of Sports and Performance Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, from Reichman University; and MA from the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo in clinical health psychology. During her psychological practical training, she worked at Schneider Children's Medical Center and Sheba Medical Center providing psychological services to children, adolescents, and parents.
|
Founders
![](https://my.israelgives.org/AppImages/fundpage/original/EvacueeSwimSchool/65689fff-1d12-467e-9cc9-f58f0ec54437.jpg)
Dr. Ayelet Rahat (left)
Dr. Rahat was the director of a Hebrew University research group for 30 years. She had been volunteering full-time at the Dead Sea hotels and founded the program, becoming responsible for the relationship with the hotels, swimming instructor scheduling, and participant contact.
|
Avishai Zipkin (center)
Avishai Zipkin has extensive experience working and tutoring children. He returned to Israel after a long stay abroad to volunteer because of the December 7 massacres. He has been responsible for building the instructor schedules, families and students contact, supporting the lessons at the pools.
|
Yahel Murvitz Lahav (right)
Coach Yahel Lahav has 17 years of experience in swimming instruction. He was the original swim instructor of the program before they brought a team of instructors. He managed the swimming school at the ASA Tel Aviv sports club between 2010 and 2013. He is also a former Israeli national water polo team player.
|
Parent, Instructor, and Expert Testimonials
“I have been teaching swimming through this program to a 21-year-old woman from Sderot. She told me that on October 7th, Hamas terrorist came right behind her house and she heard the gunshots. Today, she is traumatized. She is taking pills for her anxiety and cannot leave her mother’s side. She has been coming to the pool twice a week and told me that it helps her to think about something other than that day. She said that she is waiting with anticipation all week for her swim lesson. This seems true, because every time I see her at the pool, she has a big smile on her face like nothing happened to her.” --- Co-director and Swim Coach Ella Azaria.
"For my two children, Mika and Nevo, who have emotional and physical disabilities, especially now, in light of the terrible events, the swimming lessons are a return to normal life and to the safe and familiar place. This brings out all the good in them.” -- Shimrit Shelfrok, parent of a child in the program/
"The swimming school is an excellent mental solution for evacuees. It combines movement, a sense of competence, a daily routine, and especially a warm connection with sensitive and supportive instructors. It is better and more relevant than any psychological treatment at this stage." -- Udi Rahat, clinical psychologist, specialist in trauma treatment, staying in Dead Sea hotels since the third week of evacuation.
"Since Black Saturday, I hadn’t been able to go back to swimming. I was afraid of the sights and thoughts that would flood me. Yesterday, for the first time, I returned to the water, thanks to a wonderful coach from the Dead Sea swimming school. The lovely project suits me. I am a believer.” -- “Aya Midan from kibbutz Be'eri, until 7/10/23 triathlete, training Israman, staying in Dead Sea hotels. For Aya's story, please click the link, this is how the bike saved my life from the massacre in Be'eri.
"We have been at the Dead Sea for two months. Amid the enormous uncertainty, this amazing swimming project emerged. It allows children to be anchored in the weekly planning. The activity is regular, continuous, and allows children to get tools practical and a significant emotional boost!" -- Nofer Malka, parent of a child in the program from Sderot.
The Budget
These are the estimated costs in four hotels for three days of activity per week. We are seeking five more months of funding.
Expenses
|
₪NIS
|
$ USD
|
Details
|
Instructors
|
₪7,200
|
$1,983
|
Four guides per day, for three days of activity (per week)
|
Logistics Coordinator
|
₪1,800
|
$496
|
For three days of activity (per week)
|
Guide Accommodations per week
|
₪11,400
|
$3,140
|
Three rooms for five team members (per week)
|
Extending the pool's operating hours
|
₪3,159
|
$870
|
Pool opening between 14-16, for three days of activity (per week)
|
Travel Expenses
|
₪1,000
|
$275
|
Round-trip travel from Tel Aviv area + Round trip travel from Ein Gedi to hotels in the Dead Sea, for five team members (per week)
|
Total Per Week
|
₪24,559
|
$6,766
|
|
Total Per Month
|
₪98,236
|
$27,062
|
|
· Our goal is to continue the project as long as possible, hopefully for five months, as the evacuees are expected to stay in the hotels until the summer.
Funding Request
We are seeking to raise funding for five more months of programming at $27,062 per month. The situation is urgent since the original funding from the Jewish Agency for Israel ended on January 31, 2024. We will be extremely remorseful to disappoint the evacuee families who have endured so much and have told us how much they appreciate this program.
Your donation can make the difference between this project "sinking" or staying "afloat!" Please give generously, if you can!
With our deepest gratitude,
You can also donate via check or wire transfer. Thank you so much for your kind support!
Account Name: Jewish Agency for Israel North America
Project: Swimming Toward Resilience for Oct 7th Survivors at the Dead Sea
Bank: HSBC Bank, 605 Third Avenue, NY, NY 10158 USA
ABA Transit #: 021001088
Bank Account #: 615776299
SWIFT Code: MRMDUS33
Please notify us when you make a transfer so we can alert the Jewish Agency. Thank you so much!!!!