It was seventeen years ago when Arieh, a two-year old boy from a broken family, was fortunate enough to have been taken in to the Emergency Shelter at the Emunah Bet Elazraki Children’s Home. Recently the home was proud to e-mail Ira Riklis and other donors to announce that Arieh has achieved his dream of becoming a paratrooper in the Israeli Army. And not only was he accepted into the paratroopers’ corps, he was named the platoon top soldier, a title reserved for only the very best soldiers.
His life could have taken a much-different course. There are far too many horror stories of children raised in orphanages who never receive the love, guidance and support needed to overcome the dire circumstances of their early lives. It was a visit to Bet Elazraki some years ago, that convinced Ira Riklis that this home was different. Children taken in there become part of a caring, extended family. It’s a connection that begins the moment they arrive and continues throughout their lives, even after they’ve grown and moved out on their own. And like a true family, they welcome successes like Arieh’s enjoyed with familial pride and joy.