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Kites For Hope

Tags: Inspiration and Hope, Israel Under Fire, Living Beyond Terror, Activities, Art Activities

Antisemitism is on the rise around the world, much of it stemming from mainstream media’s one-sided and skewed portrayal of Israel within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Today’s antisemitism is a fancy and subtle method to spoon-feed the masses that it is socially just to “oppose Zionsim” without having to directly say “oppose Jews”. But whenever we see a conflict happening between Israel and Gaza, we see the ripple effect of hate crimes towards Jews happening all over the world as a response.

Two Gazan men launching terror kite, May 2018

Many around the world remain unaware of the ongoing terror inflicted against Israel and her citizens. Knowing the facts is crucial: Incited by Hamas to serve as human shields while trying to infiltrate Israel’s borders, Gazans have been violently protesting and even terrorizing Jewish communities in southern Israel with tire burning, missile launching, and burning tens of thousands of acres using “Molotov” explosive kites and balloons flown into Israeli land.

The Israeli communities near the border with Gaza are rural farmlands and rely on their surroundings to make a living from agriculture and tourism. Whole nature reserves have been destroyed,animals too small or too slow to escape the flames have been burned alive while animals that could escape have no place to return to. Experts say that the destruction to the ecosystem will take at least a decade to heal. Unfortunately, arson terror is not new in Israel as a tactic of terror, and we can only hope that there will be an end in the future.

It would be easy for Israelis experiencing this to become hateful and angry. Instead something extraordinary is happening - In the very communities where they are under the missile range or surrounded by fields on fire, families and friends have been gathering together to fly kites of blue and white - their message of hope and peace in the face of the kites of hate against Israel and our Jewish rights.

Many Jews are scared to talk about Israel or to go outside if they even have on a Star of David necklace, let alone being completely visually Jewish (kippah, tzitzit, headscarf). The fear is palpable for some, while directly felt by others, thus creating a divide among our global Jewish community somewhat based on their direct, indirect, or invisible exposure to hatred against our people. But the terror is there, it is real, more tangible in some places than in others, but one thing is clear - more actions must be taken to stand up for Jewish rights.

Israeli boy with peace kite

The Kites For Hope activity was crafted as a response to the wave of terror happening in Israel in the form of explosives attached to kites flying in from Gaza, but now we are expanding the meaning of this activity to respond to Jew-hatred all over the world and give Jews everywhere a chance to participate in a fun and beautiful expression of our hope and endless fight for resistance against the Jewhatred of the world, whatever disguise it may take shape.

Although every now and then there are still terror kites or terror balloons from Gaza, the number of ocassions that it happens has gone down significantly because of the level of awareness that was made. We hope to continue to educate and activate the public in our global fight against antisemitism and our strength in unity towards a hopeful future for Jews and all mankind.

Whether fire kites are flying or missiles are falling on our brethren on the border, the acts of solidarity by Jews around the world can make a huge impact. They demonstrate our continued hope for peace, and our unwillingness to bend under the outside pressures we may even feel from those around us with regard to our support for Israel.

Every kite flown has its own message, and every person flying a kite has the potential to feel they are making an impact by swaying public opinion to recognize the suffering the ongoing terror of Hamas and the Palestinian propagandists are causing to hundreds of thousands of innocent Jews, Christians, Muslims, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin who are traumatized by the endless attacks.

A great activity for parents and kids, campers and counselors, ANYONE who wants to raise their kites high in the sky for Israel, for justice, for freedom.

Who is this for?
This can be an excellent community activity where you can demonstrate your solidarity with our Jewish nation everywhere. It can also be a simple activity you do with your own children to have a carefree experience while at the same time expressing your solidarity with Israel.

Every kite flown has its own message, and every person flying a kite has the potential to feel they are making an impact by swaying public opinion to recognize that even though the global Jewish population only makes a fraction of percentage, hate crimes are massively disproportionate towards Jews, and we will be strong and band together against the hatred.

INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO BUILD YOUR KITE FOR HOPE

Show your solidarity, pride and hope today and everyday!

Recommended for you:

Kite firebombs from Gaza

Stronger Together: Jewish unity, not uniformity

Show Israelis YOU Care

Healing Arts

LET YOUR JEWISH PRIDE FLY!

LEARN MORE ABOUT KITES FOR HOPE

About the Author

Ondria Camile Rees is a proud Jew by Choice, having converted in 2013. On Birthright Israel in June of 2016 she fell in love with the country, and made aliyah in 2020. Over the summer of 2018 she interned for the Israel Forever Foundation, and has been a VCI Ambassador ever since. After completing her degree in design and her aliyah, she drafted into the IDF in 2021.

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Kites For Hope