Birthright Israel launches project to build gardens for Druze town two years after Hezbollah strike

Birthright Israel Foundation has launched a project to construct eight therapeutic gardens in Majdal Shams, a Druze community, two years after a Hezbollah attack killed 12 children there. Approximately 1,000 volunteers from the Birthright Israel Volunteer Program are expected to participate in building the gardens at four educational institutions. Dolan Abu Saleh, Head of the Majdal Shams Municipality, stated, "On October 8, 2023, we accepted the Jews and Israelis as our home. Now, the Jews finally accepted us." Elias Saratovsky, President and CEO of Birthright Israel Foundation, emphasized that "Every volunteer we send strengthens the bond between world Jewry and Israel." The project, made possible by The David and Meredith Kaplan Foundation, aims to bring tens of thousands more volunteers in the coming years. A memorial ceremony was held in late July to commemorate the 12 children, aged 10 to 16, who were killed, and 34 others wounded in the July 27, 2024 rocket attack from Lebanon.