Only two days after finally emerging from underground bomb shelters, American illusionist David Blaine treated new Ethiopian immigrant children to a stunning performance.

"I am proud to come to this great country to perform," Blaine said. "I feel that if I'm able to put a smile on these wonderful people’s faces for just one minute, then I'm doing something good and my trip here has been worthwhile."

Appearing at the Jewish Agency absorption center at Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar, David was surrounded by happy, smiling children. Despite the lack of a common language, there were no barriers in evidence as the world-famous musician both amused and mystified his audience through his amazing card tricks.

Accompanying David Blaine on his trip, partially sponsored by the Jewish Agency, was Seth (Yossi) Siegel from New York.

“I was watching the situation unfold on television, and I became more and more frustrated," says Yossi. "I saw these people sitting in the bomb shelters and I asked myself, what can I do to make these people smile?”

“David is a wonderful friend of mine, and when I approached him with my idea, he agreed immediately. He is an amazing person with a great heart. We decided that we were going to do this right away. So here we are."

To lift the spirits and relieve the stress of the north's war-wary population, The Jewish Agency is setting-up full-day family entertainment and recreation activities in cities, towns and rural areas across the north. Singers, comedians and magicians will entertain, while children can enjoy a variety of inflatable slides and challenge sports.

Photo Credit: Shlomy Ben Ami