News Brief13:41 PM

(IsraelNN.com) The United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Federations of North America on Friday earmarked $400,000 to provide programs removing 2,000 Israeli youth once a week from rocket-besieged Sderot.  The one-month initiative, which will begin Sunday, will take youth out of the city to receive trauma counseling and participate in educational and recreational programs.

The program was launched at the suggestion of Israel's Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Including this latest donation, the UJC and the Federations have given $13 million to programs meant to improve the lives of the Jews of Sderot.

Over 100 Kassams were launched into Sderot by Gaza Arabs last week, many of them causing major injuries, trauma, and property damage. Eight Sderot residents have been killed in rocket attacks in recent years.