Sderot

Today we had a Siyur (a field trip). Normally on Siyurim we go to Jerusalem, Ceasaria, places in the country with history and education. Today wasn't any different in the sense that we went to a place with significance and history- but it was an entirely different place that we went to. Today we traveled south to the city of Sderot. 

Sderot is a city that is about 2 kilometers from Gaza and is a favorite target for Gaza. For 8 years now, it has been hit with Quassam rockets daily, with only 15 seconds to find shelter and safety. As we entered the city today I was amazed at its size and the beautiful homes. It looked

 like a totally normal city, but when I looked more closely I saw just how different it is unfortunately. For example- the pictures up above- looks like a normal playground for young kids to go and play. What people don't see is this- 

-The pictures says in case of a "Tzeva Adom" (red alert) this is a shelter. This sign is right on the outside of the Caterpillar in the picture up-top. When we first got off the bus and went to the playground I felt as if it were a normal playground, but then i realized, what other city in America- on earth has bomb shelters on every playground. I think this is what hit me the hardest, the fact that a playground- the place where innocent children are supposed to play and enjoy their childhood has to have a bomb shelter in the case of a "Tzeva Adom". I looked around the playground and imagined the kids at the top of the castle getting ready to go down the slide, then hearing a "Tzeva Adom" and knowing that they need to get down from that castle and into the caterpillar in less that 15 seconds. The sentence sounds bizarre even, but not to the people of Sderot, to the people of Sderot it's unfortunately the way of life. 

A woman by the name of Chava came to speak to us today on the playground. Her first words were- if there is a tzeva adom get in the caterpillars, you know that right? We all nodded. Okay she said, now we can talk. She was a typical mother of 3 living in Sderot. She told us about her kids' lives. Imagine growing up this way- your mother walks you to school, even when you're still 18, you go to a school that looks for like a jail because it is so well protected. You are assigned to a class and cannot leave that classroom until school is over. In you class you have two teachers and one soldier. If you want to go to the bathroom the soldier must go with you, wait for you in the bathroom, and then walk you back to class. Chava told us about her life- how she is on so many anti-anxiety pills, how she changes her teenagers sheets every morning because they are wet every morning.

Chava told us about how when she takes the 2 minute walk from dropping her son off at school to her home, it is a very scary 2 minutes with no shelter. She told us of one time when she was walking home and heard a "Tzeva Adom" with little to no time she ran to the nearest bus stop, of course in Sderot at every bus stop there is a bomb shelter, and hid there. Then she had a 1 more minute walk home, as she got back on her way she heard another alert, she tried to run to her home but 15 seconds is no time to do that, with no where to go she laid down on the ground, and just wished for the best, sh

e told us how she looked up and saw a rocket coming toward her, and that is the last thing she remembered as she went unconscious. She told us about the time that her son was 8 and they went for a walk on a nice day. They were in a field when they heard a "Tzeva Adom" so all she could do was push her son to the ground and lay on top of him. 

Typical life in Sderot is not like life anywhere in America- living under constant fear. 8 year olds who have grown up their whole lives with "Tzeva Adoms". We were told about a psychologist who asked an 8 year old from Sderot "why do you think Ladybugs have shells around them" and his answer immediately was "to protect them from the Quassam rockets". It's so sad to think that to the kids of Sderot all they know is bomb-shelters and tzeva adoms. 

We went to the edge of Sderot where we walked to a look-out point. As we were walking up this hill I thought to myself, 'wow if an alert goes off now, 15 seconds? where would I possibly go'. We walked up the hill and oversaw all of Gaza. It looked no further than a football field or two away. We could see the Palestinian flags, the Mediterranean Sea, Gaza City.

 It was very surreal to see it with our own eyes. 

Picture 1 (the blue tunnel with red writing) is a bomb shelter, they have these types of shelters everywhere says in hebrew, "it's not possible to end this melody".

Picture 2 is the inside of the tunnel, or bomb shelter

Picture 3 is something that was written on the inside of one of the Bomb Shelters in hebrew it says "Sderot we are with you"

Picture 4 is something that was written on the outside of every bomb shelter in Sderot, it has a "Magen David" (star of David) and it says "Am Yisrael Chi" which basically means, Israel will live on

Picture 5 is another written on the inside of one a bomb shelter which is basically an add for a psychologist, it says hard? bad? call this number if you need help.

I guess all one can say to things like Sderot is עם ישראל חי

on a MUCH lighter note i do want to acknowledge the birthday of my favorite mom ever. HAPPPPY BIRTHDAY MOM LOVE YOU!!

-steph