On video: Children of Zichron Menachem in Paphos in Cyprus/Kahana Group
At the time these lines were written, I should have been somewhere between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
This was supposed to be the third time I join the Zichron Menachem association's "camp" abroad. 125 children who are dealing with cancer were supposed to be in the UAE at this camp. Along with dozens of other volunteers and a ton of equipment, it was supposed to be one One of the largest camps that the association of Israel Chaim and Miri Arental prize winners ever took abroad.
Then the phone call came to the captain's skater. "It's cancelled.
This is not the time," said the voice on the other end.
The call came from the Israeli consulate in Dubai, Liron Zaslansky, who received a letter from the local authorities with the message that they do not have permission to hold the camp on the territory of the United Arab Emirates. It should be noted that the trip was coordinated throughout the months of preparation with all the official bodies. Everything was approved in advance, from the accommodation arrangements, the security, the recreation centers and the attractions to obtaining approvals for the children's medication. The authorities of the United Arab Emirates knew about every step the Israeli group was supposed to take, and waited until the very last minute to cancel, just before the Sabbath that they left The children were supposed to take off from Tel Aviv.
Zichron Menachem summer camp in Cyprus 2021/Zichron Menachem
Let it be said in advance, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two of the safest cities in the world.
In 2023, the Japanese research institute "Mori" determined that Dubai is the country with the lowest crime rate in the world.
Abu Dhabi was in second place.
Last February, the Serbian data company Numbro published updated numbers, which placed Abu Dhabi in first place, and Dubai in second place.
Either way, the security danger in the Emirates is almost non-existent, thanks to a sophisticated technological system and extreme enforcement.
This was one of the main reasons why the people of "Zikhron Menachem" preferred to travel there, rather than to Europe for example.
Ironically, precisely in the Arab country during Ramadan, the security concern is less than in big cities like London or Paris.
This was also the claim given by the embassy to the people of Zichron Menachem.
The war is nothing new, the fast was known in advance, and the security arrangements were set ahead of time - so what caused the cancellation at the last minute?
The answer to this question was not really given to the members of the association, but there are those in the association who link the secret visit of Major General Avi Gil, the military secretary of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Dubai, the day before the announcement of the cancellation. "If it was a security reason, we would understand, but simply We were not given any concrete reason.
It's quite clear that this is simply a political decision, against the backdrop of the war," Wala was told.
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The security danger in the Emirates is almost non-existent.
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"Life has taught me many difficulties over the years," said Haim Arntal, who founded "Zikhron Menachem" in the name of his son, who succumbed to the disease, "but nothing prepared me for 125 phone calls to 125 sick children and to inform them that the trip they had hoped for and expected was canceled For no reason. The heart breaks when you think about the disappointment these children are experiencing. They have dreamed of this trip for three months, and from experience, it is an experience that can also save lives that gives so much joy and energy to them and their family members."
In fact, this was the second postponement of the camp, after the camp had already been postponed since January in light of the situation in Israel.
Many of the volunteers were recruited into the reserves, and for three months worked at the association around the clock to train personnel, which includes attendants, staff members, doctors, nurses and security guards.
More than half a million shekels were invested in the camp, while many expenses will be thrown away (for example: close to ten thousand shekels for boarding passes to the Burj Khalifa).
The $60,000 paid to the local hotel is also currently stuck in Dubai, when in fact Zichron Menachem has no documentation of the cancellation by the authorities.
Now, after the final cancellation, the association is trying to find a suitable alternative, probably in Cyprus.
"We know it's not easy, and many resources have already been invested," Arntel said, "but we are determined to find a way to give these children the experience they so desperately need."
One of the children who had to receive the cancellation notice is Ira Yohai Klangel, who was diagnosed with the disease almost at the same time as October 7th, and while we were all experiencing the hardships of the war in the last five months, he had to deal with cancer.
Ira was supposed to celebrate his 8th birthday in Dubai, but the celebration was canceled.
His father Eliad said that Eira prepared a "counting the end" table (like a table of despair, but for something good) until the trip "and then last Friday he received the good news and a day of joy turned into a day of destruction."
"Our son is undergoing treatments and receiving unpleasant medications and he was really looking forward to this camp, and 48 hours before suddenly we are informed that it has been canceled," said Klangel, "I can't describe the disappointment and sadness. My wife and I also took it hard. As parents there is nothing more Break from your son's broken heart."
The heart breaks when you think of the children's disappointment.
Zichron Menachem summer camp in Cyprus 2021/Zichron Menachem
The family of 6-year-old Mia also talks about the pain caused by the cancellation of the camp.
Chen Or Daniel, her mother, told about the great expectations, the organization of special feeding equipment and the optimism that this trip left in Mia.
"With all the hell she went through, it was like a lifeline for her. Her hospitalizations were difficult and long, with side effects, and we kept telling her, no big deal, she's going on a trip soon. She was really looking forward to it."
Because of the difficult treatments she underwent, Mia weighs 12 kg ("like a two-year-old child") and got used to the fact that nothing related to the disease should be postponed. Suddenly, something she was looking forward to, which is as important to her spirit and soul as any medical treatment, was taken away from her in an instant The last one. "It really caught us off guard.
I had to tell Mia this and it was a difficult moment," said her mother, "at this age it is even more difficult, as mature as she is for her age, in the end the disappointment is very big.
She cried, said it wasn't fair.
And it casts on everything and raises frustration from everything, from everything that goes through her, flooding all emotions.
Even so, she goes through so many difficult things and then when she is finally assured that she is going to be fine, everything resurfaces: 'Why do I have cancer, and what have I done, and why can't I be a normal girl'.
As the size of the viewing, the size of the disappointment.
Mia was also sick that weekend and I'm sure it has to do with the mental state."
The size of the expectation is the size of the disappointment.
Zichron Menachem summer camp in Cyprus 2021/Zichron Menachem
Consul Liron Zaslansky refused to respond to the article and referred to the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has not yet given an official response.
In a conversation with an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was told in a polite but firm manner "to get off this story. There is no story here at all. There is nothing to publish it at all."
According to my claim that for 125 children with cancer that this hope of a little air to breathe was taken away from them, this is indeed a story. The same factor responded: "Yes, but they already know the story, why should it be published in the media?".
The Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi did not respond to my inquiries, but Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hait confirmed the details of the cancellation ("The answer we received from contacts in the Emirates is that it is not the time").
Hayat refused to answer my question about who the parties were that wanted to cancel the camp in the United Arab Emirates, as he claims this may harm the relations that the Foreign Ministry officials have in Dubai.
Hait also did not hide his dissatisfaction with the very coverage of the affair: "I don't understand this media campaign of the organization."
According to Hayat, "a lot of journalists" contacted the Foreign Ministry.
To my surprise, I searched on Google, and did not find any information on the subject.
Hait also added that the MLA has issued a travel warning to the United Arab Emirates, according to which it is recommended to avoid non-essential travel. There
has not yet been a response from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Israel.
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