Since October 7, Telfed staff and volunteers were in regular contact with South Africans, Southern Africans and Australians in the South – those who were evacuated, and the few who chose to stay. We listened as individuals and community leaders spoke about loss, uncertainty, and the difficult question of how – and whether – people would return. From those conversations came a clear message: recovery would not look the same everywhere. Communities needed support that restored pride, belonging and a sense of normal life, and Telfed reached out to partner with them on this journey of recovery.
Telfed committed to projects chosen by the communities themselves, responding to what they felt would best support recovery and ease the return home. In Talmei Yosef, the focus was on restoring gardens and shared spaces. In Sde Nitzan, attention turned to community facilities that bring people together (refurnishing a community centre and building a deck near the protected spaces). In Nir Am, the emphasis has been on children and education – through hands-on volunteering to restore and repair nursery schools and children’s houses, the donation of projectors for children’s houses, and English support via Telfed’s Teaching English Community Initiative, led by PRAS scholarship students. Each community identified its needs, and it was a privilege to work with them, strengthen our ties, and support their return home.
On the final day of Chanukah, Telfed representatives travelled south to see these completed projects in use. We met with Olim in Talmei Yosef and continued to Sde Nitzan, where our Olim from across the region were invited to a Sunday lunch braai – a taste of home and familiarity, and a time to connect after two challenging years of war, displacement, trauma and loss. The day continued in Nir Am, where parents and children shared how English support has helped close gaps they became aware of during evacuation, and where rooms once associated with fear now felt welcoming and full of life and laughter.
The day began with a visit to a training session for a local rapid response team. Many civilians are now joining these teams, having seen firsthand how critical they were on October 7. Our visit to the south ended in Sderot, where we lit the eighth Chanukah candle together – just one week after the Bondi tragedy. In a city that has endured decades of attacks, standing beside a chanukiah made from missiles, surrounded by visible construction and growth, was a powerful reminder of resilience, strength, and hope.
Telfed is deeply grateful to the volunteers and donors who made these projects possible. Seeing these spaces used and enjoyed is a meaningful milestone, but the work continues – in both the North and the South – alongside communities as they rebuild, heal and look ahead.
