We have now learned that a second front has opened on Israel’s Northern border. Residents there have been instructed to enter bomb shelters or not leave their homes.

It is hard to imagine that only a week ago, much of Am Yisrael was up north vacationing during the Sukkot break, visiting family, hiking, and floating down the Jordan River. It is simply inconceivable.

As we continue to hear about the rising death toll and identities of those who were murdered, we unfortunately learned about another AMIT graduate, Naomi Baker HY”D from AMIT Yud Ashdod, who was murdered in the opening attack on Simchat Torah. This is the second graduate from AMIT Yud Ashdod murdered this week. Given these horrific circumstances, we are providing extra counseling and attention to the community, student body, alumni, and their families.

Today was the second day of AMITTV programming, in which several new components were added.

First, we decided to begin each day at 10AM with a special program for educational staff, hearing from Yony Tsouna, CEO of MATZMICHIM, which focuses on building a positive group climate, creating a safe environment.

Noa Koler, a well-known actress and writer, had an open and intimate conversation with us. Emunah Cohen, a clinical psychologist, spoke about “First-aid for Mental Health.” In our ongoing efforts to adapt and personalize the programming to a variety of audiences, we offered two different programs in the same time slot, one for our religious students, and one for our secular students. And of course, a special program for the students of the city of Sderot.

AMIT’s Crisis Management Team met today and decided on the following action items:

1. Conduct a thorough mapping of all principals and educational staff who were drafted or whose spouses were drafted, and to provide special care and attention to those families by sending meals, letters of support, and much more.
2. Conduct a thorough mapping of all students, alumni, and educational staff, who have been wounded, abducted, or are missing, to be in close contact with the family and provide any assistance that is needed.
3. For any alumni or educational staff who were killed in a terror attack or fall in battle, we will help with the Shiva house and provide any support their family needs.
4. Our Hybrid Gogya is working towards jumpstarting a variety of educational classes to be offered to our students that will complement our online learning. These classes will be more academically rigorous and enriching and will offer a variety of subjects and topics.
5. A special crisis management team has been appointed for the city of Sderot, with the understanding that the sites and experiences our students in Sderot are undergoing are unparalleled to those of our other communities.

Today we will be sharing a video from Ofer Hahn, Deputy Director of Innovation and Partnership at AMIT, who was called up on Simchat Torah to share some thoughts from the frontline.

These days, Israeli society is basically divided into two: the first group consists of soldiers and family members of those who have been drafted, along with the residents of the South, and the second group are those who are buying, preparing, delivering food and supplies to the first group.

We want to share with you a video that embodies these two groups from the educational staff of AMIT Eitan Ma’ale Adumim. Most of the male educational staff of the school have been drafted and they prepared a video for their students, who are busy shopping, buying and delivering food to soldiers.

Our hearts and prayers are with the families and loved one of the fallen and with the injured, the captives, and the missing.