Elifelet

Elifelet is a moshav in the Eastern Upper Galilee, founded in 1949.[1] A historical population table places it in the Hazor Region, identifies it as affiliated with Tenu'at ha-Moshavim, and lists it under the Ha-Galil ha-Elyon Regional Council.[1] The Central Bureau of Statistics' 2022 locality file assigns Elifelet locality code 730 and places it in the Northern District and Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council.[2]

Elifelet was established as a moshav in 1949.[1] A field report dated 1991 described it as neighboring Karkom and noted that at least one teacher among the first 25 families to settle in Karkom had grown up in Elifelet.[3] The account situates the two communities within the network of small rural settlements developed in the Galilee.

A population table recorded 476 residents in Elifelet on December 31, 2004.[1] The Central Bureau of Statistics' 2022 locality file reported a population of 728, an increase of 252 residents from the earlier figure.[2] The two figures come from sources using different reference years and administrative classifications.

As a moshav, Elifelet was historically listed as affiliated with Tenu'at ha-Moshavim.[1] Its name is also associated with a well-known Hebrew poem by Natan Alterman. The National Library of Israel's Yom HaZikaron resources list a 1959 performance of the song "Elifelet" by the IDF's Armored Corps Variety Ensemble, followed by performances by Arik Einstein, Berry Sakharov, and others.[4]

A National Library of Israel archival photograph titled "Dolmen structure on Elifelet road" documents an archaeological feature near the settlement in December 1955. The catalog credits photographer Benno Rothenberg and tags the image with Elifelet and Tuba-Zangariyya.[5] Elifelet Cemetery contains 120 recorded burials and 120 catalogued photographs, according to JewishGen's registry, which lists December 30, 2023, as its latest update.[6]

Elifelet—Citizens for Refugee Children is a registered Israeli nonprofit supporting children of asylum seekers and refugees living in Israel.[7] Founded in Tel Aviv in 2012, its stated mission is to give asylum-seeker children a positive childhood, support their development, and bridge gaps between their needs and institutional support.[7] The name was suggested by Rachel Yagil, one of the first volunteers, and was drawn from Natan Alterman's poem about a boy who reveals his heroism in battle; the founders regarded the children they served as the poem's heroes.[8]

Elifelet describes its approach as a holistic "blanket" addressing children's needs from morning to evening, from early childhood through the end of elementary school, in educational settings and at home.[9] It identifies emotional problems and developmental delays affecting education as core challenges and says its programs seek to narrow physical, emotional, and developmental gaps that are not otherwise addressed institutionally.[10]

The organization traces its founding to events in April 2012. A 2016 profile reported that journalist Yael Gvirtz read that a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at a day-care center for refugee children in south Tel Aviv. She visited Blessing Kindergarten in the Shapira neighborhood and found 21 babies and toddlers lacking basic items such as mattresses and blankets.[11] A Facebook post about the center's needs led to donations of equipment and other assistance.[8] Gvirtz later described the visit as the point at which she devoted herself to helping asylum-seeker children.[8]

Within a year and a half, Elifelet had assumed responsibility for 10 kindergartens and established two therapeutic after-school clubs, one for children aged three to six and another for those aged six to twelve.[11] The organization began with approximately 30 volunteers and grew to 200 within two years; volunteers supplied food, made repairs, and provided medical assistance.[11] By 2016, Elifelet was assisting 10 improvised preschools serving approximately 650 children within a wider south Tel Aviv network of nearly 90 such facilities caring for about 3,000 children.[12]

Elifelet's early-childhood work centered on informal child-care settings serving the asylum-seeker community. It supplied food, volunteers, classes and activities, toys, and building renovations.[13] In a submission concerning the early-childhood supervision law that was due to take effect in September 2021, the organization said the new requirements would force it to end this work in unlicensed facilities.[13]

A 2022 profile described Elifelet's elementary-school clubs as operating from the end of the school day until 6 p.m. Each group comprised 20 children and two staff members, and Tel Aviv municipality covered half the cost.[14] Children received individualized plans, social-work case management, volunteer mentoring, and access to activities including yoga, programming, music, and Tigrinya.[14]

The organization's program materials describe group instruction, tutoring, cooking, sports, arts, programming, robotics, music, and English-language enrichment. They also describe small-group pedagogical centers intended to strengthen core subjects and coordinate instruction with the children's schools.[9]

Elifelet's therapeutic system includes psychology, psychotherapy, art and movement therapies, and close social-work support. Students and experienced volunteer professionals also participate under guidance and supervision.[9][14] A December 2024 report described the organization as operating in two elementary schools in south Tel Aviv, with more than 200 children attending its clubs each day in age-based and special-education groups.[15]

Humanitarian assistance has included food parcels, diapers, baby formula, clothing, financial grants, and help connecting families with health and welfare services.[9][14] During the COVID-19 crisis, Elifelet distributed 650 food parcels per week for 41 weeks, helped Joint Israel distribute emergency aid, and distributed several million shekels in emergency grants to families.[14]

Elifelet's funding combines a partnership with Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, support from philanthropic foundations, and private donations. Organization representatives reported that it received no direct state assistance.[15] A crowdfunding campaign attracted more than 600 donors and raised over half a million shekels.[15]

In 2015, Elifelet received the Presidential Volunteer Award and the Yigal Alon Prize for Civilian Pioneering Deed. In 2016, it received the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.[16] By the time of a 2022 report, the organization had accompanied approximately 6,500 children and their families, while more than 5,000 people had volunteered with it over the course of its history.[14]

Elifelet's work has intersected with politically contested questions about the status and rights of asylum seekers in Israel. In 2016, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman halted organized IDF volunteer visits to preschools supported by Elifelet following a public dispute over soldiers assisting children of asylum seekers. The Defense Ministry said soldiers should focus on activities that were not publicly disputed and on helping Israelis in need.[12] Elifelet coordinator Julia Shahar maintained that the visits allowed children who could be frightened of uniforms to see soldiers as individuals rather than as threatening figures.[12]

The Times of Israel reported concerns raised by critics of the volunteer model, including questions about the consistency and vetting of rotating volunteers.[17] As the early-childhood supervision law was set to take effect in September 2021, Elifelet warned that implementing it without provisions for families unable to afford compliance would force the organization to end its work in informal child-care settings. It estimated that about 850 toddlers in Tel Aviv and 1,500 across Israel would remain without an adequate solution; these were the organization's own estimates.[13]

The broader context remains politically sensitive. A 2022 report described Elifelet as serving children of asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan who lacked legal status in Israel.[14]