Youths from Slovenia, Turkey and England arrived in Israel on Sunday to take part in an Israeli program called "Smile Factory," for training clown doctors. The presence of clown doctors has been found to aid children in recovery from disease and in dealing with illness. The program, which brings the youths from Europe and Israel together for a week-long crash course in the art of medical clowning, has been selected by the European Union for sponsorship.

The participating youths will spend part of the week touring the children's wards in Israel's hospitals, where they will tell children stories, make them laugh, blow up balloons for them, apply makeup to their faces and play with them. At the end of the course, the new clowns will receive a "Clown Doctor" certificate as well as a balloon kit, a balloon inflater, a clown shirt, a red-button nose and more.

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