About 800 hanukkiot decorated by children evacuated from communities in southern and northern Israel have been sent to IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip in the days since the Hanukkah holiday began, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said on Sunday morning.
The children decorated the hanukkiot with members of the Magen division of the IDF's Education and Youth Corps as part of a project called A Little Bit of Light.
The project was led by the IDF's Manpower Directorate in the Southern Command. The soldiers also received boxes of sweets and letters and messages from the children "with the aim of strengthening the spirits of the soldiers who are on the front lines and reminding them that the people of Israel stand behind them and are waiting for them at home."
Hanukkiah project aims to 'strengthen resilience'
"The Education [Corps] staff deployed in institutions across the country create a routine for the displaced communities through diverse activities, with the aim of strengthening personal and community resilience," said the commander of the Magen division in the Education and Youth Corps, Col. Einat Albalak. "The project is one of a whole array of operations that the Corps is leading with the aim of strengthening the spirit of the soldiers at the front lines, and the morale of the communities in the home front."
Maj. Mor Issachar, education officer of the Southern Command, added: "The soldiers carry with them the thoughts of the children and the sense of connection and responsibility to the residents of the border communities and the entire nation. The project makes it possible to actualize and strengthen the relationship, and we are happy to be a significant part in boosting the morale of our soldiers."