The war on children, Violence turns Israeli kids' lives upside down

[Tom Joad]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/24/INGBBN1VKM1.DTL&hw=Israel+children&sn=004&sc=458

Thousands of students in Southern Israel have missed school this year because of the barrage of rockets near their homes. Half a million students in Northern Israel were affected by the war with Hezbollah last summer.

"Only now -- two months into the school year -- are we beginning to see the (deeper) effects of the war," said Bilha Noy, head of the Psychological and Counseling Department for Israel's Ministry of Education. "Children are having trouble concentrating, and for roughly 5 percent, return to so-called normal life has not happened."

Because Israel's school system attempts to function as an ideological extension of parenting, when war with Lebanon erupted during summer vacation teachers and psychologists sprang into action visiting students hiding out in bomb shelters.

"What we encountered were frightened kids who were very attached to their parents. Kids who refused to leave the shelters. There was regression with bed wetting and nightmares. All normal for an abnormal situation," Noy said. "Generally if a parent is calm, the child is also calm. But when rockets are hitting. ..."

(snip)
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Comment:
Remember the Children.
Remember all the Children.
http://www.rememberthesechildren.org/

Hoping for a more peaceful new year.

[peacetalksforall]

1. I hope the children and their parents are present and future peace

lovers so that the childrens' children will not suffer.