Israel gave official approval to residents of its northernmost communities to return home this month. Even though it’s only a trickle of people to start with, the hard work now begins for those who have decided to go back to one of the most enchanting areas of the country that have been blighted by a year and a half of war.
Economists and local officials say that the road back to a “normal life” following Israel’s longest war since the 1948 War of Independence is going to be slow and tortuous, but spring’s awakening may bring an air of optimism as families start to unpack their belongings after living out of suitcases in hotel rooms and temporary accommodation since late 2023. The Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah joined in the battle with Hamas, who had stunned Israel in their attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The Upper Galilee region in particular was subjected to sustained barrages of deadly rocket and drone strikes, cross-border sniping, and anti-tank missile fire that forced a mass evacuation of the local population who feared for their safety.
Israel’s volatile North has come under fire many times since the 1970s, but the sporadic nature of past barrages rarely demanded an evacuation of more than a few days. This time, the intensity of the incoming rockets and bombs forced the majority of people living in agricultural communities that dot the picturesque region to flee to safer areas. In Kiryat Shmona, the town that serves as the commercial hub of Upper Galilee, tensions have subsided to a certain degree. Some residents are not expected to return in a hurry, local residents and officials say with a tinge of sadness.
More than 30 civilians have been killed and dozens were wounded in the period of fighting until a ceasefire was grudgingly agreed upon on November 27, 2024, according to Israel Foreign Ministry data.
PROVIDING A second layer to quality of life above the basics that the returning population will require – well-stocked shops and basic amenities, functioning public and municipal services, and an active local commercial sector and industry to offer employment opportunities – will be the ability to deliver secondary and tertiary services such as supplementary and higher education, tourism, and sports and leisure.
To that end, a small delegation of donors and officials of the Israel Tennis and Education Centers (ITEC) paid a fact-finding visit to the Kiryat Shmona tennis complex last month. It has been a magnet for youth from the area not only for sporting activity but also as a nonprofit organization, as it offers a wider range of activities than simply teaching kids how to swing a tennis racket.
Before the current war, the center catered to around 1,000 children and youth in competitive and social tennis programs, and in social-impact and other projects for children at risk. As well as tennis as a sporting and social glue, the ITEC aims to provide educational and social support that supplements regular school activities. These are much welcomed by the communities of the region.
ITEC Kiryat Shmona manager Tal Amsalem explained that counselors work alongside tennis and sports coaches in providing support activities and meals to program participants.
“The kids really love to come here because they can sit out on the grass, they can play tennis, soccer, basketball. Inside, they can play video games. It’s a very safe place for them,” he said in his welcoming remarks to the visitors.
The importance of the Israel Tennis and Education Center in Kiryat Shmona
Tennis, along with other sports and recreational activities, may be a fun and friendly way to attract the youth, but the social and educational programs are a significant underlying focus of the ITEC’s activities. The center benefits from the help of students at the Tel Hai Academic College nearby, who provide counseling and educational support to the kids.
The tennis complex, which includes three covered courts – the first ever to be built in Israel – was not immune to the ravages of the war. The center is currently closed and remains off limits. It will require a period of refurbishment before it can again welcome enthusiastic youngsters from the area to enjoy the use of its facilities.
TELL-TALE SIGNS of just how dangerous it was to venture outdoors during the fighting were distinctly visible on the blustery, winter’s day of the visit, as on the courts many metal objects ranging in size from a grain of rice to a crumpled shopping bag, all menacing enough to deliver a lethal blow to any unfortunate bystander, still lay strewn about. Thankfully, nobody was hurt by any of the falling fragments, but the center will require a concerted clean-up effort and some urgent maintenance to replace shattered window panes, fix the courts and buildings, and one distinct hole in the plastic roof over one of the covered courts that was pierced by a particularly heavy circular metal object, apparently a component from an Israeli interceptor missile, according to Amsalem. There is also the landscaping to deal with, as the usually manicured lawns and flower beds are showing signs of nature’s inexorable sprawling spread.
“The last time anybody played here was October 6, 2023,” Amsalem said, recalling happier times when he was on the courts with his family. Refurbishment work is due to begin in April.
While the center was closed, it offered use of the facility to IDF soldiers as a rest spot where they could get organized and take showers, said Eyal Taoz, the ITEC’s global CEO, although time is now of the essence to prepare and return the center to its intended function.
Amsalem said only about a quarter of Kiryat Shmona’s population was currently back in town, while other residents preferred to stay at their temporary homes farther away in order not to further disrupt school studies. More are likely to return after schools end studies in the summer. Still, it is not certain how many will be returning permanently in the near to medium term, as the rehabilitation of the region could take years.
Wendy Slavin, the president of the ITEC Foundation, the engine behind the organization that provides leadership and funding from its pool of some 3,000 donors, mainly in North America, was moved by the derelict state at the Kiryat Shmona center, where in normal times the place was buzzing with activity.
“I was quite shocked to see the destruction. It was desolate and sad; there were no children there. It’s hard to imagine until you see it for yourself, and to think that 60,000 people [of the region] have been displaced,” she said.
But as a driving force behind the organization, she is constantly conjuring up ideas on how to push projects forward as she looked ahead with optimism.
“I find the resilience here is so impressive. There are real pioneers around, and I’m quite excited to think about the rebuilding that lies ahead and so many projects that we can do. There are so many projects in which to engage people in North America. It’s not just fundraising and financial aspects, but bringing volunteers out here to help to rebuild,” Slavin told the Report on the trip back to Tel Aviv from the North.
AS IF in contrast to the desolation in Kiryat Shmona and to inject an air of optimism on the drive back to Tel Aviv, the group stopped at the ITEC facility in the Druze village of Sajur that overlooks the city of Karmiel from the slopes of Mount Meron, the tallest mountain in the region.
The immaculate five-court facility not only caters to the local Druze population but also welcomes children and youth from all religious and ethnic backgrounds of the area. It especially concentrates on the empowerment of women and girls and aims to be a “second home” to all who come to use the courts and facilities.
Manager Alam Ibrahim emphasized that “it’s important for me to say that children want to be together and play together. We were the only tennis facility to remain open during the war in our region because we had available shelters for everybody.”
A group of smiling youngsters, all eager to expend their energy in a friendly and disciplined manner, respecting the rules of tennis etiquette on a cold evening, was a positive sign that recreational endeavors can be a viable way to build and rebuild.■