After violence flared up in Israel’s south as Hamas terrorists and other groups fired nearly 40 rockets and mortars from Gaza into Southern Israel, I received an update from the Israeli office of the Jewish Federations of North America. The rockets hit schools, homes and municipal buildings, leaving numerous Israelis homeless and one man dead. The range of the latest rockets has increased, hitting close to Rehovot (just 14 miles from Tel-Aviv) for the first time ever, leaving residents unsure of how to respond.
This latest series of rocket attacks against Israel further highlights the importance of continuing peacemaking efforts as well as vigilant advocacy for Israel’s security. Our own Federation family knows the region under attack quite well, as we have many friends and colleagues in Hof Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi (near Gaza), which are our partnership cities.
Below is the update provided by the JFNA office in Israel, which will provide you with an in-depth picture of the situation:
Just 12 days since Gilad Shalit returned home to Israel and the first of the 1,027 Palestinian terrorists handed back were hailed as heroes, Hamas is continuing its campaign against Israel, even making public this startling footage of rockets being shot.
Sadly, the attacks caused one casualty and four others were moderately wounded, not including the more than one million people in rocket range who have been left emotionally traumatized. Moshe Ami z"l, 56, father of four, was killed as a result of shrapnel wounds suffered when a Grad rocket hit his car Saturday evening. Although able to speak with his partner to let her know he was injured, his wounds were so intense that he died 90 minutes later in surgery. He was buried today.
An initial cease-fire agreement brokered by Egypt Sunday morning was ignored by Hamas, who shot four more rockets, two of which were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome rocket-defense system. It is now hoped that Hamas will honor the newly agreed ceasefire.
Nevertheless, schools within 40 kilometers (nearly 25 miles) of Gaza are shut today for security reasons, with over 200,000 children at home with their parents, effectively keeping the entire population of the region hostage until it is considered safe enough to return the day to day routine of normal life.
As an Israeli mother commented on the news last night to people across the country; “You might be making Saturday night plans, but we are making bomb shelter plans of who will grab which child and in what order.” Despite it being the first day of the university academic year in Israel, Ben-Gurion University in Beersheva has been forced to close its doors until further notice.
All JFNA missions to the area have been cancelled and moved away from the southern region today and will wait for security clearance until they resume. Sigal Ariely, director of the Ashkelon-Baltimore Partnership, lives in Ashkelon with her family and had been overseeing a professional visit of 12 educators from Baltimore who were dining in a restaurant nearby when the rockets struck.
“I phoned immediately to check everyone was alright. They were, but experiencing these rockets is a totally different feeling from hearing about it.” As a mother, Ariely describes the effect on her children; “When the siren went first, my youngest daughter, 10 years old, was in the bathroom and ran out with soap and shampoo all over. She now sleeps on a mattress next to me, so she can be close. You can't tell your children it's going to be OK, because they sense you don't believe it yourself.”
Jeff Finkelstein, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, is currently in the country and echoes Ariely. “Being here in Israel, I really have the opportunity to see what's happening on the ground, immediately, with no filter. I had intended to travel to the South today but instead, due to the terror strikes in that area, have come to Jerusalem. Our hearts go out with more strength than ever to those who are enduring this flood of hatred.”
The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) is, as always, working closely on the ground. JAFI’s Fund for the Victims of Terror has sent social workers in to the field to identify needs and address them. Additionally, a team was sent to the family of the Moshe Ami to be with them and help with anything that is required. JAFI also reports that all victims, including those with property damage, will be given up to $1,000 in immediate assistance as part of the Fund’s SOS activities.
JDC Israel is in emergency standby mode. Elderly day-care centers that have shelters and are in the line of fire have opened their doors to elderly in southern Israel. In Kiryat Malachi, the elderly day-care center is sending warm meals to elderly in their homes. The community caseworkers operating in the three pilot cities — Sha'ar HaNegev, Beersheva and Netivot — are in constant contact with the local welfare bureau.
When reading the above, it is also important to note that despite having to deal with rocket attacks, Israel continues to offer humanitarian assistance to countries in need. To learn more about Israeli efforts to assist earthquake-stricken Turkey, go to:
Our contacts from JFNA in Israel are monitoring events on the ground as they happen, and are keeping us apprised of developments. We will keep you updated as events warrant. For more information, please contact Federation’s Partnership for Israel Director, Riva Gambert, at 510.318.6453 or riva@jfed.org.
I know that you join me in prayer for the immediate safety and well-being of our brothers and sisters in Israel and for a secure and lasting peace in the region.
