Good News November 2021

CHARITIES 56 DECEMBER 2021 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition 56 NOVEMBER 2021 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has re- cently ordered another thirty new portable bomb shelters which will be delivered in com- ing weeks to Israeli border communities which are espe- cially vulnerable to rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon, with an increased focus on protect- ing civilians in the northern Galilee and Haifa regions. With these shelters, the ICEJ has now donated a total of 155 bomb shelters in the last 15 years to Israeli communities under rocket threat, with the majority (129) placed in towns along the Gaza periphery and the remaining 26 in the North. Over the past decade, the Negev region has received most of the attention from gov- ernment and private sources seeking to better protect the local civilian population from frequent rocket barrages. Working in partnership with Operation Lifeshield, the Chris- tian Embassy has placed dozens of mobile bomb shel- ters in the Gaza envelope, in communities stretching from Kerem Shalom in the south all the way up through Sderot and Ashkelon. Most have been do- nated to schools, daycare cen- ters, medical clinics, youth cen- ters, community halls, college campuses, factories and other public places which cannot op- erate during times of crisis without adequate bomb shel- ters. Increasing need However, the need for more bomb shelters in the North has become an increas- ing concern, especially due to the severe lack of public shel- ters and Lebanon’s growing economic crisis. Thus, the Christian Embassy is shifting its focus to assisting towns in the northern Galilee and Haifa regions to protect their most vulnerable communities. A State Comptroller report issued last year warned that 2.6 million residents of north- ern Israel do not have access to functional bomb shelters. While there have been efforts to upgrade existing shelters, the state budget has provided little funding to add new and better shelters, due in part to the instability of Israel’s gov- ernment over recent years and the priority given to resupplying the IDF’s Iron Dome batteries. The need for more shel- ters is most acute in the towns right along the northern border with Lebanon, which are prone to shorter range rockets that cannot be stopped by the Iron Dome system. This hilly, forested area contains a di- verse mosaic of Jewish, Arab and Druze towns which are desperately looking for funding to provide better protection for their communities. Other areas of concern are the Jewish and Arab farming villages in the Ze- vulun regional council just east of Haifa, which are close to strategic facilities – such as oil storage tanks and chemical plants – which Hizbullah will likely target in any future con- flict. In the coming weeks, the Christian Embassy plans to deliver some of the new shel- ters now on order to public places in Haifa, Nahariya, Akko, Kfar Maccabi and else- where – all in consultation with local security chiefs. Donations Over recent months, the ICEJ has received donations for these latest bomb shelters from Christians in dozens of countries, most notably from Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Fiji, Germany, Ire- land, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and United States. “Many Israelis living along the Gaza border have told us that these mobile bomb shel- ters indeed save lives and give their families the peace of mind they need to continue their daily lives under the constant threat of rocket attacks,” said ICEJ President Dr Jürgen Büh- ler. “We now want to focus more on the need for additional bomb shelters to protect civil- ians in the North. The existing public shelters are not enough and these portable shelters are an effective way to provide greater security to the smaller towns and villages in the Galilee and Haifa regions that are often overlooked.” Dr Bühler added that the Christian Embassy also is keen to promote Jewish-Arab coexistence with these shelters donations through local author- ities in the North. For more information on the ICEJ’s bomb shelter dona- tion program visit www.ice- jusa.org/bombshelter ICEJ Orders 30 More Bomb Shelters for Vulnerable Israeli Border Towns Photo Credit: International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Kibbutz Magen Shelter