I am Amita Jarmon, raising funds for R's tuition to a physical therapy program at Hebron University. Deadline Aug 17!

I met R at Neve Shalom-Wahat as-Salam at a Sulha gathering of Israelis and Palestinians in the summer of 2021 when she was 15. She, along with her extended family, had been issued permits to come into Israel for the day. It was her first time ever inside the Green Line and her first time ever in a swimming pool. She asked me to teach her to swim. I said it was necessary to learn to float before learning to swim. I was in the pool with her and the other women and children for 3 hours, holding each of them, guiding them to relax and let the water support them. We kept in touch via WhatsApp.

In August 2022, I visited her in her village near Hebron, where this picture was taken. Last month she graduated from high school. She wants very much to continue her studies, but her family has no money for tuition. The West Bank has been under a closure since Oct 7. The vast majority of Palestinians who used to work inside Israel are not issued permits to enter. While R and her family are not starving as the people are in Gaza, there is food insecurity and poverty throughout the West Bank now.

R asked me 6 days ago if I could raise $2000 to pay her tuition for the fall semester. The deadline to pay was today, and I thought it would be impossible, but she got an extension through Sunday, Aug 17. I will need to send her the money on Friday (in 36 hours) because banks are closed in the US on Sundays and I don't do banking on Shabbat. A big stretch, but not impossible!