Sderot, Israel has been experiencing one emergency after another. From rockets being fired out of Gaza to an unexpected rainstorm that caused intense flooding, the people of Sderot are suffering. Chabad of Sderot has jumped in to help with supplies for the IDF soldiers as well as those in shelters and those affected by the floods. But they need your help to continue supporting these victims!
Pictured above is a weekly distribution of care packages to IDF soldiers
Latest News From Sderot
Below you will see updates of the latest attacks and troubles facing the people of Sderot. We needed to be prepared ALWAYS. Temporary cease fires are just that, temporary, and they are initiated by Hammas so that they can regroup.
June 20, 2018 Update: KASSAM rockets are being fired at Sderot and southern Israel. Last night 45 rockets were fired and from 1:45 am until dawn Sderot residents hid in bomb shelters. Pictured below is a police officer handling a mortar shell near a nursery school (Photo courtesy of Eshkol Security) and a home that took a direct hit from rocket fragments.
June 17, 2018 Update: Incendiary kites caused fires in Sderot (Sapir College fires pictured below) and surrounding areas once again this Shabbat.
Chabad: With gratitude to Hashem, we were able to get back to our “normal” routine and delivered 347 Shabbat packages. Chabad works year round in hunger relief and as a safety net for hundreds of families. Low income families can not survive without one of the many amazing organizations in Israel. We try to do our part and it is only with your help that we succeed. For our work we were recognized by the Prime Minister (pictured below).
June 14, 2018 Update: Sderot is under water due to intense rain flooding! (Read more here)
Chabad: During our 2 days of flooding, Chabad assisted 273 families bringing food, water, and critical supplies. Each package contained, canned fruits and vegetables, canned tuna, 8 liters of water, a flashlight with batteries, toilet paper, sanitary products and medical supplies as was needed.
Support Chabad’s Tireless Efforts to Ease the Suffering of Sderot!
June 14, 2018 Update: We are thankful for the relative quiet on our border.
Unfortunately, this quiet in violence does not mean quiet for us in Sderot.
Chabad: We, in Sderot, are in a constant state of vigilance. Our children live in constant anxiety and we are doing our best to get them away to a safe and happy environment. History of the past 10 years has shown us that Hamas regroups during these times. We must be vigilant and take care of those who can not take care of themselves.
May 28, 2018 Update: IDF official statement, “Southern residents must prepare bomb shelters now”.
HOW YOU WILL HELP
As each hour passes Chabad is hard at work making sure shelters are stocked with food, water, blankets, and activities for children. There is a critical need for air conditioners in many shelters. We also need to relocate our summer camp to get the children away from the trauma. But we cannot do this without your support!
Sderot, a low-income city just 1 kilometer from the Gaza border, and acts as a buffer between Gaza and the rest of Israel. As the closest city to Gaza it is crucial to the security of Israel on its southern border. The people of Sderot are a constant target, living in fear of rockets and mortars, running to shelters every time the sirens sound, at all hours of the day and night. The IDF and Israeli government work hard to protect them, but they can only do so much. Many residents of Sderot (40% of them children!) already suffer from anxiety and PTSD from past conflicts. Many victims of this constant terror are unable to return to work, affecting their livelihoods and local businesses. Businesses are having to close. Children are once again living in fear and terror.
Chabad of Sderot has been on the front lines for 25 years. Our programs support IDF soldiers, the elderly, children, and the needy. We provide services and supplies to IDF soldiers, daily hot meals, weekly food packages, medication, after school children’s programs, summer camps and trips and much much more. Your support will contribute to this aid and so much more than words can ever describe!
Testimony from an IDF Soldier Serving in Gaza
An excerpt from Ophir Maman’s letter to Breaking the Silence:
“Do you know how long it took me to stop being afraid of a kettle whistle? Years, years.
I remember the first scene of casualties in Sderot, I was there. On uniform. Three whistles and then booms that come as if the sky were being torn, but what was really torn were the internal organs of 50-year-old Mordechai Yosefov, who was killed on the spot, and the hip artery of Afik Zahavi Ohayon, an only child at the age of 3 who died at the entrance to his kindergarten, right next to his severely-wounded mother. He died right in my arms and those of another fellow who was trying to give him first aid.
To this day, I recoil for a moment when I hear the ‘crackle’ of a megaphone operating, because that’s how the red alert starts.
I taught children at risk, those with the usual issues of a problematic family, social difficulties, it is not easy to be a child anywhere. But in Sderot? I raised children who would hear red alerts and freeze, children who hear the red alert and pee in their pants, children who hear red and go into a powerful, crazy panic attack. Do you have any idea what it does to a child’s mind and self esteem, to lose control in front of other people? What does it do to his parents?
In short, Breaking the Silence, I very much hope that you will invite me to testify. I have a lot to tell. I am certainly willing to tour the world at your expense, and to express my deep thanks to the soldiers, the IDF and to those who dedicate everything they have to keep us here.”
Please visit our Facebook and website. Although it is in Hebrew, pictures and videos will tell you more of our story.
100% of funds will be used for the residents and soldiers of Sderot. All donations are tax deductible.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us in the USA at (720) 987-6724.
Thank you!
