Israel's Shelter in the Storm
Chris Mitchell
CBN News
May 24, 2007
CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel -- Since 2001, more than 1,500 Kassam rockets have landed in the Israeli town of Sderot. For the people there, living in the shadow of death has become a way of life.
But now one group is trying to provide a shelter in the storm.
The Kassam rocket attacks have killed six people and injured hundreds. Hundreds more have been treated for shock. Living in Sderot has become like playing Russian roulette.
"You don't know where the place it will fall," said Magen David spokesman Regev Moshe. "It's like bingo. In the times we are speaking here, one of them can cut our broadcasts. this is the problem."
However, a group of Jewish philanthropists and evangelical Christians are trying to help solve this problem. They call the effort "Operation Lifeshield."
Operation Lifeshield is the first installation of a portable protective shelter that will house 30 people. When a missile alert sounds, people at ball fields, bus stops, school settings and public places can run and take cover under the shelters, thereby saving lives.
Organizers hope to supply the 42-ton, steel-reinforced portable bomb shelters throughout Israel. Earl Cox, an evangelical Christian leader, supports the program.
"I think it's going to be well worth the effort, time and energy that's put into them," he said. "We'll put place them in certain locations around Israel as a defensive thing. I think it is something every Christian should be interested in."
The inspiration for "Operation Lifeshield" came during the last summer's war with Hezbollah when thousands of Israelis spent weeks inside bomb shelters.
"The main complaint we heard from parents, from children, from mayors, from emergency rescue personnel is that people need to go about their daily lives as much as is possible during a war and even a missile crisis," Cox explained. "The one thing missing was put a shelter in public places."
They put the first "Operation Lifesheild" bomb shelter near a kindergarten in Sderot. During the installation, a Kassam rocket fell in a field nearby. A reminder Sderot may need the bomb shelters now, but Israeli officials warn more Israeli towns and cities may soon be in range by more sophisticated missiles.
That means thousands more Israelis may soon need bigger and better shelters.
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