Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, on Sunday met at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem with children who have experienced social ostracism.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Chair of the Committee for Children's Rights MK Kati Sheetrit also participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, the children shared their experiences of social ostracism and exclusion within educational frameworks, as well as their personal coping mechanisms and how they overcame the difficulties.
Netanyahu addressed the children and said, “It starts with you, the children. It starts with you, because what I see here is that you are different, that is completely clear, but you don't realize how you are different: You possess immense strength."
“Because if you manage to live the way you live, to draw strength from within yourselves, to fight this wickedness and evil, and to constantly keep trying to move forward, you have special powers. It is not a given that other children have this. It is clear that you do," he added.
The Prime Minister continued, “Despite all the hardships, despite all the suffering, recognize this: You have something special that is immense. I see each and every one of you; it is something amazing. And I hear you, I listen to you, my heart opens up to you; you have immense strength."
Sara Netanyahu said, “The issue of boycotts and social ostracism is a very ancient one. It is not a new issue, nor is it related to any specific culture. It is an international issue."
“That is to say, it happens among children, and among adults as well, people being people. It is not unique to the State of Israel. I encountered this when meeting with other psychological services around the world, including in the United States, and they always talk about it," she added.
She continued, “This thing is, first of all, a phenomenon of the human inclination. Just like many other things. It is very ancient, long-standing, and people deal with it. Sometimes less successfully, sometimes more, but they deal with it, and it is also international."
“So it does not belong to one society or another, religious, secular, this or that nation, it belongs to everyone. What is new is social media, and the issue of cyberbullying and online boycotts," said Sara Netanyahu.
“There is no scenario where a child should not receive a response from their teacher, counselor, or psychologist, it is a must. But violence on social media, which is also very severe, is what is being studied now, it is the new element, and people are learning how to cope with it," she stated.
“Even when I experience such things with children I work with in professional settings, I always say - turn to your parents. Because even in these cases, a large part of the tragedies that occurred happened because the children did not turn to their parents. And the parents only found out after, G-d forbid, a tragedy had already occurred," Sara Netanyahu added.
Photo credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO; Sara Netanyahu