Hello, my name is Skylar Kamenitz and I am a sophomore at Council Rock North in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Bucks County is a safe place to grow up, allowing me to spend hours at a time, playing and enjoying the outdoors. In my spare time, I did gymnastics for fourteen years, more than half that time as a competitive gymnast. I have recently turned my attention to diving with my high school. From a young age, I was exposed to sports and exercise in all its forms, from indoor classes to outdoor activities and social gatherings. I was lucky enough to have this opportunity to experience play and exercise in a safe environment, but I am aware that that is not the case for many of the children in Sderot, Israel. Sderot is located less than one mile away from the Gaza strip, where there, the threat of bombings is constant and therefore, children must be within 15 seconds of a bomb shelter at all times. The children in this region do not have the privilege or luxury to play in the streets without fear. Thus, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) built the Sderot Indoor Recreation Center, a 21,000 square foot secure indoor playground and community center retrofitted with 300 tons of steel where play areas double as bomb shelters and its occupants can quickly reach safety when necessary. The Sderot Indoor Recreation Center was established with the purpose of providing a safe haven for the children of the region to exercise, make friends and play with normalcy. This initiative is close to my heart because all children should have the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving, and sheltered environment.

In April 2023, I will be attending the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. As part of the program, I am excited to be participating in the Dream Israel Teen Initiative and raising funds for important projects in Israel. Jewish National Fund is supporting Israel and Israelis in a number of different ways. The money that participating teens are raising will go towards funding several important initiatives: Inclusion for Israel’s special needs population, support for the Sderot Indoor Recreation Center, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services, Environmental Studies scholarships for students at the Arava Institute and AICAT, and for Project Baseball. I have chosen to direct my fundraising towards the Sderot Indoor Recreation Center.

If I meet my fundraising goal, JNF will provide me with a grant towards my own Israel travel experience, ensuring my opportunity to meet Israelis whose lives have been changed due to our support, and to explore my own connection to the land and people of Israel. Please consider supporting this important initiative and my efforts to meet my fundraising goal.