Jewish Agency Update - Thursday, August 25, 2011: Situation in the South of Israel The relative calm over the past few days turned out to be short lived as events on the ground dictated the reality. Despite the calls for a ceasefire, and following the IDF operation in which a senior member of the Islamic Jihad who was reported to be a “ticking bomb” and about to unleash another major terror event, some 20 rockets were fired into southern Israel over the course of Wednesday and into Thursday. Rockets were fired at Sderot, Ashkelon, Beer Sheva and Ofakim and the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.  One rocket hit a car on a Kibbutz and caused damage to surrounding homes as well as moderately injuring a nine month baby from glass shards. The baby was taken to a hospital in Ashkelon. The Fund for Victims of Terror is in touch with the family to see if assistance is required. Luckily, almost all of the other rockets fell in open areas and didn’t cause damage or casualties. Two rockets did hit Sderot last night and caused damage to streets. Some rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. It is important to note, however, that each time rockets are fired, the sirens, the sounds of the rockets hitting or being intercepted by Iron Dome, cause tremendous anxiety among the population and increase the amount of people affected by shock. Many of these victims are recognized by the government as victims of terror. In addition, large amounts of people are required to spend hours in sheltered areas, day camps close, cultural events (such as the Ashkelon Festival) are canceled and people are in a constant state of fear and tension. On Wednesday, Barry Shrage, President, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (Boston), and Lee Perlman, Managing Director of Programs and Planning, JFNA (Israel) visited Ofakim and the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip, accompanied by Jewish Agency staff. The visit included meeting with a family in Ofakim whose home suffered a direct hit from a Grad missile and received assistance from the Fund for the Victims of Terror. For more information on the Fund for Victims of Terror, please visit our website at: https://donate.jewishagency.org/page/contribute We will continue to keep you updated on our activities in the South and will also be updating our Web site with new information as it becomes available. Join Our Growing Community