In light of the tense security situation in northern Israel and the missiles fired on the Golan Heights last week, KKL-JNF has received numerous requests for portable bomb shelters from hospitals and communities in the north. Thanks to the immediate response of its partners worldwide, KKL-JNF is able to support residents living on the frontlines before, during and after military confrontations.
Last week was a very tense week in Israel’s northern region. The Golan Heights was a target for a barrage of 20 missiles fired from Iranian bases in Syria. Following President Trump’s announcement that the United States is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, the IDF put communities in the Golan Heights on alert and instructed local authorities to open up the bomb shelters.
Eli Malka, Head of the Golan Heights Regional Council, and
Dimitri Apartsev, the Mayor of Katzrin, expressed deep concern for the lack of available bomb shelters in the region. In immediate response to the emergency situation, KKL-JNF World Chairman
Danny Atar held a special conference call with the KKL-JNF Directorate. After consulting with local heads of councils, a decision was made to provide 70 portable bomb shelters that would be installed according to the needs expressed by the local authorities. The KKL-JNF Directorate also decided that if additional bomb shelters or any other similar equipment would be required, KKL- JNF would provide it.
And in fact, after the missile barrage, it was decided to add an additional 30 portable bomb shelters to the 70 that had been previously allotted. Of the original 70, 55 portable bomb shelters will go to the Golan Regional Council and 15 to the Katzrin Local Council.
In addition, three protected war room shelters will be installed in three Golan Regional Council communities. The exact location of each bomb shelter will be determined by the respective councils.
This emergency campaign is being supported by friends of
KKL-JNF from all over the world. KKL-JNF’s partners in Finland, France, Italy, Latin America, Sweden, Switzerland and South Africa have already announced their adoption of the portable bomb shelter project for the protection of citizens in the northern region. Additional countries have also expressed their desire and readiness to help save lives by participating in this project.
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar declared that KKL-JNF is dedicated to
supporting communities in Israel’s periphery in general and in the Golan Heights in particular. “We regularly express this commitment by contributing to development in these areas, particularly in times of emergency or security alerts, when KKL-JNF can use its expertise to fulfill urgent needs,” Atar said.
In times of emergency as in times of calm, KKL-JNF responds to Israel’s needs and to the needs of local residents, including building bomb-proof play areas and rooms for kindergartens and nursery schools, purchasing and installing portable bomb shelters as required, hosting children from volatile regions at KKL-JNF Field and Forest Centers, and providing supervised activities for children confined to bomb shelters. These are just a few of the ways in which KKL-JNF, together with its partners worldwide, is always there for communities living in the line of fire.