(Toronto Star) - At Camp Koby, each of the 30 boys, aged 9 to 13, has lost a father, a mother, a brother, or a sister to suicide bombings or armed attacks. "The invaluable thing they encounter here is each other," says Rabbi Seth Mandell, whose 13-year-old son was murdered near his home in Tekoa in May 2001. "When tragedy like this happens, your whole world divides....There are those who have suffered this pain and those who haven't. For those who have, no explanation is necessary. There is an instant bond." At Camp Koby, the instructors are trained therapists specializing in trauma and bereavement. Of the more than 200 children hosted this summer, Mandell says the oldest group bonded intensely. "The day they left one of them started up an Internet chat room," he says. "They have a community now. A support group to get them through the winter before we bring them back next year."
2002-08-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive