The Scars Still Remain

About 60% of the population of Sderot have returned. There is quite a bit of anxiety among those who have returned and it increases with each and every “Tseva Adom” or “boom” we hear. Those who have not come back also have anxiety as the war drags on along with the uncertainty of what they will do after the government funding runs out for them to stay in hotels.

It has been 161 days since the beginning of this current Gaza war. It has been the longest war since Israel has been reestablished and the longest war that Hope For Sderot has been involved with in giving aid.
It is because of your generosity that we have been able to accomplish all we have in these past 161 days and we trust we will be able to continue our war efforts until it is over.

Schools Have Reopened

On day 161, Mar 16, 2024 the schools opened up for the first time since 7 Oct 2024.

The schools had not only their usual armed guard at the gate as before, but now there are armed soldiers and police as well at each school. I can’t say things are going back to pre 7Oct 2023 but rather they are going somewhat back to “normal” … as Kassams are still being fired at us which has been the norm for the past 23 years.
Military operations have moved to the south yet there are still tunnels being blown up which causes our windows to rattle when that happens.

 

“THE MAYA PROJECT”

One of the projects we are currently working on is called “The Maya Project”. War can bring the worst out in people, BUT it also has the ability to bring out the BEST in people and Maya is the perfect example of “the Best”.

Soon Maya will celebrate her Bat Mitsvah. On her special day, she wants to do something special, not for herself but for others. She wants to help the residents of Sderot.

She contacted us and asked if we could help her do just that. Her first thought was maybe through her Bat Mitsvah she could raise money for a new public bomb shelter; Although that is something Hope For Sderot does not do, but we made a suggestion to her.

On Oct 7, terrorists were able to walk right into our residents’ bombshells because when they were designed, the thought of having to lock the door from the inside to keep terrorists out was not considered; being safe from shrapnel was the main objective… then Oct 7 happened.

We suggested that installing a heavy duty 6-inch barrel bolt on your bomb shelter door would keep anyone from ever walking in again like they did on the 7th; she liked the idea so the dream and the desire to help the people of Sderot was born: hence… “The Maya Project”

Instead of a gift for her on her special day, Maya is asking her friends for help and support to help provide for the installation of a barrel bolt on as many bomb shelter doors as possible, at no cost to the residents of Sderot. She is asking for her Bat Mitzvah that her friends and family support her Bat Mitzvah project.

As government funding for some 30,000 residents who fled Sderot after the 7th will be ending soon, many are reluctant and afraid to come back home, knowing that even in their “protective space” their bomb shelter, they are no longer safe and understandably so.

This act of love will bring some sense of security to those who will be returning to Sderot in fear of the past. Maya’s act of unselfish caring is not only a reflection of her heart but is also a reflection on her parents as well. To be part of this Mitzvah, click here.

I believe that this project has the potential to reach far beyond what we have even accomplished before in our sixteen years of serving the residents of Sderot.

One Mother’s Story

Ester’s son and their granddaughter came to spend Shabbat and Simcha Torah with his mother, father and brother. Shabbat evening was a joyous time and they made plans to spend Simcha Torah at their favorite park.
Around 6:30 on Shabbat morning they were awakened by what seemed to be an unstopped sounding of one “Tseva Adom” after another; which was followed by a barrage of twenty or more Kassam rocket explosions. It wasn’t only the Kassams exploding that startled them but you also had two Iron Dome rockets being fired for each Kassam.
During the initial Kassam assault, gun fire erupted. From the sound of it, they knew it was close and that something serious was happening.
Avi, their youngest son, who is a reservist who just happened to have been getting his gear ready for a training call, automatically grabbed his gear and headed for the training sight, which is in the north. On his way out he was stopped and told to go back home and shelter there; he tried one more time but was turned back. He got a call to report immediately so he tried a third time to leave the house; which he did.
At the same time Amous the oldest son got a frantic call from his wife telling him to bring their daughter home “RIGHT NOW”!!)
He packed up his daughter and started to go back to the moshav where they live. “Tseva Adom” is still sounding, rockets and “Iron Dome” are still exploding and bullets are still flying. Little did he know that he would be driving right into the firefight. He told his daughter to lay down and “Don’t get up until I tell you”. His way out of town took him past the bus stop when just moments earlier fifteen people on their way to the Dead Sea for the day, were massacred.
Once out of town it took him another two and a half hours to get back to the moshav, which should only have taken forty-five minutes.
The reality of the barbarism that took place on the streets of Sderot on that day linger in the mind of Amous. At this point he is not willing to talk about what he saw or how he got home.
Avi on the other hand, has been in the north fighting there. He, too, when he comes home on occasions is not willing to talk about where he has been fighting or what he has seen. The only thing I know at this point in time is that he has seven headstone plantings in the next 30 days.

Ester is a mother and worries about her boys and rightfully so. On October 7 she saw her youngest son try to leave the house on two separate occasions before he was able to make it somewhat safely out of town. With each of his attempts to report for duty, she never knew if the IDF would take him as a terrorist or if he would be targeted by terrorists.
You can see the weight of this war on Avi’s face. His smiles are gone and have been replaced with the heaviness of his heart and that heaviness weighs even heavier on this mother; as she sees her son going out to the front lines in the north.
Amous’s wife will not let their daughter leave the moshav to come and see grandma and grandpa in Sderot. The moshav they live on has never heard the “Tseva Adom” alarm sound, nor have they ever heard a Kasam explode in the moshav, unlike Sderot
Ester does not hide the fact that this war has affected her whole family who is not (like most residents of Sderot) suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) but rather ATSD (Accumulative Traumatic Stress Disorder). With no end in sight, she can’t even begin to process it all so some degree of healing can take place.

THANK YOU!

All we have accomplished and all we hope to accomplish is because of your support. We are now faced with other challenges… how to help those who have come home or who will be coming home? Knowing that this war is not over and it appears it may not be over for a while, how do we prepare for the future needs of our residents and our soldiers?

Through your continued support we will be able to meet these challenges as they come. If you would like to join our efforts going forward, just click here.

We will never be able to say THANK YOU enough for your support!

THANK YOU!