How Israel's youth managed life under the coronavirus

Today, August 12, is International Youth Day. The theme of this year, “Youth Engagement for Global Action,” seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of the youth at the global and national levels contribute to the efforts of their countries in achieving their goals. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel last March, Israel's main and most important goals were, and still are, to stop the coronavirus from further spread, to limit its damages to all spheres of life and to ensure the return to normal life as much as possible. During the corona time, the Israeli youth found itself in lockdown, unable to attend school or other social circles. Nevertheless, numerous young Israelis succeeded in overcoming the fear and the uncertainties that came with the coronavirus, and instead engaged in various volunteering activities to support the national effort to save lives and provide stability during times of critical unemployment and economic problems. Many young Israelis participated in a huge solidarity chain of food packages distribution to the elderly isolated in their homes. Others ensured regular day-to-day communications with lonely people. Hundreds volunteered in hospitals and Magen David Adom at the forefront of the corona struggle. Other young Israelis volunteered to help farmers who have suffered because of the shortage in manpower. Among those many beautiful and creative expressions of solidarity, some deserve special attention, such as the initiative of the youth umbrella organization of Israel to conduct a program of informal education for very young Israelis to limit the emotional damages of fear and constraints that were caused by the corona. These great expressions of engagement solidarity and mutual responsibility, the “Israeli Spirit,” are not limited to the national level. In past months, multiple youth and student organizations took part, through digital campaigns, in Israel's global effort to combat corona antisemitism and BDS. They also joined the international campaign against antisemitism on Twitter: “No safe space for Jewish hatred” to stop the antisemitic tweets of rapper Wiley. The main Israeli organization that specializes in youth diplomacy, Israel's Center for Young Leaders, which also runs the Young Ambassadors' School, actively participated in these campaigns as well as ensured the continuation of its dozens of young ambassadors' courses throughout the country, even in the midst of the pandemic! While some youth and student organizations concentrated their activities on Israel and the Jewish diaspora, other groups chose to continue their engagement with different universal causes, such as migrants, climate change, and humanitarian or technical aid to developing countries. Israeli youngsters very much miss the direct and physical contacts with youth abroad through the participation in international youth forums and delegation visits. However, the regulations under the pandemic do not prevent them from participating, through Zoom, in different international events like this month's Chemistry Olympics in which they won a number of medals. Until the return to normal life, virtual platforms such as Zoom will continue to play an integral role in ensuring the continuity of global and national youth engagement. Israel has been blessed with an exceptional and caring youth; a youth that is guided by values of the love of Israel and the obligation to contribute to Tikkun Olam, the repairing of the world. We salute our youth who will lead the country in the future and ensure its quality as an innovative, democratic society and a strong leader in the international community. Yitzhak Eldan is president of the Ambassadors' Club of Israel. Katya Kantor is an intern at the Ambassadors' Club of Israel.

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