If you only read the news feeds coming out of the major U.S. news service, you probably never read that Sderot and the communities around Sderot were plummeted with over eighty Kassams and rockets in a 48 hour period this past week. Nor did you hear that one IDF Commander was sent to the hospital in serious condition after a road side bomb exploded.

You probably didn’t hear  that schools were closed and residents were warned by the Home Front Command to stay at home on Wednesday and to stay near their bomb shelters or safe room and you probably never heard the “Tseva Adom” alarm sound, (but you can by clicking here.)

When all was said and done, A kindergarten was hit by a Kassam as were five other homes, Five people were injured; two of the victims were critically wounded and at least 8 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the attacks and is now calling on its Arab neighbors to lodge complaints with the UN, which they eagerly have done condemning Israel’s response to their acts of terrorism.

But like I said if you were depending on any of the major news networks to report this you probably didn’t hear it. I am not sure why that is but I have a pretty good guess and I believe so do you as well.

How does a week like this affect Hope For Sderot; That you will never read or see in the news after all we are such a small piece of the overall picture. How it affects Hope For Sderot is maybe a thermometer or a pulse of the reality of a week like we have just had.

On the day that the warning to stay home was issued by the Home front command 30.7% of our volunteer called and said they would not be coming in to help today because they were scared to leave their homes. 41% of the people that did not come in this month to pick up their food did not come in this week.

When the news is reported even here in Israel about what is happening around us the phrase “No one was hurt or no injuries reported” show up quite often. Yet there are families in need that were too scared to come and pick up food and others who are faithful volunteer too afraid to leave their homes… how could you ever write “No one was hurt or no injuries reported”.

It is reported by Marina Choikhet in the Jerusalem Post on 10/04/2012  at 10:39 that; “After more than 11 years of living in the most heavily bombed city in the world, over 71% of Sderot’s children suffer from at least one symptom of PTSD, whether it’s flashbacks, bed-wetting, the feeling of constant, paralyzing fear, nightmares, etc., while in the meantime, they continue to hope that one day they can wake under a permanently rocket-free sky.”

The number of children affected by the years of Kassam rocket attacks  is staggering yet the problem with not only Marina’s article but also by most journalists is there is NOTHING “Post” about what we are experiencing. We are living in the middle of an ongoing human tragedy that most of the world will never hear about on the “Evening News” of even sadder don’t care.

For the most part there is a dedicated group of people here in Sderot that pack food and give it out each week no matter what the Home Front command advises because of our love for our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and friends.

We could use your help to distribute food for those who need the help so bad that they WILL come out of their homes to pick it up. Will you help, will you show your support; you can by clicking here.