Hundreds of children from the Chabad-Lubavitch run Ohr Menachem and Ohr Chaya boys and girls schools in Ashkelon took a break last week from the rocket fire that had paralyzed their city by attending a family fun day in the central Israel city of Kfar Chabad.

Featuring carnival-style games for the children and Torah study sessions for their parents, the Jan. 12 gathering encouraged attendees to take on good deeds in the merit of the Holy Land’s safety.

The group also visited the on-site replica of Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Lubavitch World Headquarters.


Children from Ashkelon string beads together during an arts-and-crafts portion of a family fun day in Kfar Chabad, Israel, well out of range of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.


Volunteers from the central Israeli village helped out.


A variety of carnival-style games and activities could be enjoyed outside.


The day was a chance for the children to escape rocket fire during what turned out to be the last week of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip.


The children are students at the Chabad-Lubavitch run Ohr Menachem and Ohr Chaya boys and girls schools in the coastal city of Ashkelon.


Children line up for a shot at a ball-tossing game.


An entertainer wows a group with a story.


Inside a replica of Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Lubavitch World Headquarters, children watch a video of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.