Katyusha rockets hit many towns and cities such as Safed which had previously been considered out of range. Since the fighting began, several rockets have landed there causing one fatality and several injuries.
With the population in Safed confined to bomb shelters, the Jewish Agency, who operates three absorption centers in the city, swung into action in order to minimize, as much as possible, the discomfort to their residents.
“To allow you to understand - we have seventy families here, each with an average of seven children,” explains Yonaton Freedman, manager of the Tzahal 9 Absorption Center. “With all these children cooped up in bomb shelters, things were becoming a little claustrophobic."
In response to the situation, the Jewish Agency rapidly set up a summer camp facility for children aged between 10 and 18 at its Hadassah Neurim Youth Aliyah Village near Netanya.
Inspecting rocket damage at the absorption center
“We have already sent 130 kids to the camp, and the Jewish Agency has organized a variety of activities which will keep them occupied until the situation will allow them to return,” points out Yonaton. “By enabling many children to leave the facility, we have created a more pleasant situation for the 400 plus new immigrants who have remained at the center."
All of the immigrants at the center are of Ethiopian origin, and being under fire is a new experience for them. "Despite this, they have shown amazing patience and the innate calmness of their nature has certainly been shown here,” says Yonaton, who has barely left the absorption center since hostilities began. “We have begun to let them go back to their own apartments in the last few hours, and hopefully things will return to normal for them pretty soon and their kids can come home."