The roughly two hundred children living at the Emunah Elazraki Children's Home in Netanya are celebrating the Sukkot festival this year, despite the unique challenges the coronavirus pandemic and Health Ministry restrictions have created for the institution.
In keeping with the Health Ministry’s regulations, this is the first year in its history that the children’s home has not hosted a large number of Sukkot guests during the holiday.
In addition, the children’s home has been required to divide up the children and staff members into small groups or ‘capsules’ for eating in the Sukkah during the Sukkot festival, as well as for holiday prayers held in open spaces. Masks are, as required by Health Ministry rules, worn during the prayer services, and the children and staff members are socially distanced.
The Emunah Elazraki Children's Home is home to at-risk children who are unable to live with their parents, and are instead raised as part of a large single ‘family’ with other at-risk children.
The ongoing pandemic has forced the staff to find ways to both adhere to health guidelines and maintain the family atmosphere of the children’s home.
Yehuda Cohen, manager of the children’s home, said, “The reality of the coronavirus pandemic has created various challenges for us as a family with a large number of children.”
“We are required to keep Health Ministry guidelines inside of the family, and at the same time to maintain the holiday atmosphere at the home. Therefore, we are doing everything we can to adhere to the health guidelines while also keeping the spirit [of the holiday] alive.”