The project includes mapping and renovating, shared shelters in underprivileged neighborhoods in the Northen District of Israel, in order to provide a protected space for every child and adult leaving in the area. The project is an initiative of KKL-JNF, JNF-UK, Osim Shchuna organization and is carried out in cooperation with the Joint Council of Pre-Military Academies, IACC(Israel Association of Community Centers), Aviad Friedman, a former Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and is in full coordination with the local authorities.
The project has already reached 18 cities including Haifa, Afula, Tiberias and Zefat and as a part of it, hundreds of shelters were utilized. The goal is to utilize 4,000 shared shelters in the next two weeks in neighborhoods in the Northen District and provide residents with a protected space.
As part of the project, the organizations arrive together with young volunteers at as many shared shelters as possible, especially in the disadvantaged neighborhoods, remove the unnecessary equipment which stored there, clean them and prepare them for a time of an emergency. The shelters spoken of, are not suitable for a long stay since, they function as fully stored warehouses and part of them has no electricity. Therefore, this is a particularly urgent project - the IDF has recruited tens of thousands of reserve soldiers to be ready for a possible war on the northern front - but the northern home front, which is expected to be hit particularly hard, is not prepared for such an emergency. Every day that goes by without rockets being fired at the Northen District, is a day when tens and maybe hundreds of shelters can be utilized.
Ifat Ovadia-Luski, the Chairwoman of KKL-JNF: "
In light of the fear of the expansion of the fighting to the Northen District, KKL-JNF and our partners in other organizations are working immediately to utilize hundreds of shelters in the North of Israel . Together with hundreds of wonderful volunteers who have left everything to help, we arrive at the shared shelters and make sure to prepare them for an emergency as soon as possible in order to save lives."
Shmuel Hayek, the Chairman of JNF-UK:" In these difficult days that Israel is coping with, and due to high security tensions in the Northern District, JNF-UK is leading a life-saving emergency project to utilize shared shelters in the North of Israel. This project is of critical importance to the security of the Israeli home front in the North of the country, which may be severely damaged. The operation is expected to utilize thousands of shelters throughout the country."
Photogrpah: KKL-JNF