Bomb shelter upgrades provide security to Israeli community
Published on: 26.6.2023
By: Laurina Driesse

Residents of southern Israel are regrettably no strangers to the sound of red alert sirens, as they signal the approach of a terrifying rocket attack. With only seconds to run to safety, it can be a matter of life or death if there are no bomb shelters close by. Until recently, this was the situation for the Jewish community of Kibbutz Dorot, located just 8 kilometers (5 miles) from northeast Gaza.

Kibbutz Dorot was established during Hanukkah in 1941 by Jewish refugees from Germany who farmed grain, fruit trees and vegetables. From its humble beginnings, it has grown to a population of over 870, with native Israelis and new Jewish immigrants settling in the kibbutz.

The kibbutz has two underground bomb shelters which over the years became totally unusable. But thanks to the Christian Embassy’s generous donors, we were able to renovate the shelters and make them fully functional again.

The contractors set out renovating the bathrooms, adding a small kitchenette area, giving the shelter a fresh coat of paint, and installing a ventilation system with special pumps that remove moisture from the air to prevent dampness and mold.

“All corners, walls and step edges were painted with reflective paint so that it is visible in pitch darkness. This is especially important if there is an electrical failure due to the rocket attacks”, said the contractor Ofer Tabash.

The two underground shelters are centrally located on the kibbutz. The larger shelter is located next to a dining hall and a grocery store, and is close to a cultural center. Meanwhile, the second, slightly smaller shelter is located near the student dorms for Sapir College.

These shelters are multifunctional. During peaceful times, they serve as a place for young people and IDF soldiers to gather, listen to music and enjoy community life. During times of crisis, they are a vital place of refuge.

“Now, the new LED lighting, kitchenette and more make this place renewed and joyful, even in times of crises,” remarked Yael Pruzhan, the former managing director of the kibbutz.

Current manager Dor Efrati added that when the area recently came under intense rocket attack, everyone was grateful to the ICEJ that the shelters were open and running again.

“The restoration of the bomb shelters is a crucial part of our security in this kibbutz. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” exclaimed Efrati. “I want to thank the generous donors for their help in providing our community with shelters and for protecting the residents of Kibbutz Dorot. During the recent escalations, the shelters you donated gave our residents a place of safety to go to when the alarm sounded and of this it is said: ‘Everyone who saves one life in Israel, it is as if they saved the whole world’.”

Nicole Yoder, ICEJ Vice President for Aid and Aliyah, shared that since the beginning of the year, the ICEJ has helped Israeli communities with six bomb shelters (both portable shelters and renovated underground shelters) and another eight shelters are now being made.

“This is an amazing achievement, made possible through the partnership of our friends from ICEJ-USA, ICEJ-Germany, ICEJ-Canada, ICEJ-Switzerland, and ICEJ-Austria. With these shelters, it will bring the total number supplied to Israeli communities to 197. We are so hoping to reach 200 by the Feast of Tabernacles in September”, shared Nicole.

防空洞升級為以色列社區提供安全保障
發佈於：2023年6月26日
作者：勞麗娜·德里斯

遺憾的是，以色列南部的居民對紅色警報的聲音並不陌生，因為它們預示著可怕的火箭襲擊即將來臨。 逃往安全地帶的時間只有幾秒鐘，如果附近沒有防空洞，這可能是生死攸關的問題。 直到最近，距加沙東北部僅 8 公里（5 英里）的多洛基布茲猶太社區的情況仍然如此。

多洛基布茲 (Kibbutz Dorot) 於 1941 年光明節期間由來自德國的猶太難民建立，他們種植穀物、果樹和蔬菜。 基布茲從最初的卑微開始，發展到人口超過 870 人，其中有以色列本土人和新猶太移民在基布茲定居。

基布茲有兩個地下防空洞，多年來完全無法使用。 但由於基督徒大使館的慷慨捐助，我們得以翻新避難所並使其再次充分發揮作用。

承包商開始翻新浴室，增加一個小廚房區域，給避難所重新粉刷一層油漆，並安裝帶有特殊泵的通風系統，以去除空氣中的水分，以防止潮濕和發霉。

“所有的角落、牆壁和台階邊緣都塗有反光塗料，以便在漆黑中清晰可見。 如果火箭襲擊導致電力故障，這一點尤其重要”，承包商奧弗·塔巴什 (Ofer Tabash) 說道。

兩個地下避難所位於基布茲的中心。 較大的避難所位於餐廳和雜貨店旁邊，靠近文化中心。 與此同時，第二個稍小的庇護所位於薩皮爾學院的學生宿舍附近。

這些避難所是多功能的。 在和平時期，它們是年輕人和以色列國防軍士兵聚集、聽音樂和享受社區生活的地方。 在危機時期，它們是重要的避難所。

“現在，新的 LED 照明、小廚房等讓這個地方煥然一新，充滿歡樂，即使在危機時期也是如此，”基布茲前總經理雅埃爾·普魯贊 (Yael Pruzhan) 說道。

現任經理 Dor Efrati 補充說，當該地區最近遭受猛烈火箭襲擊時，當地人感謝 ICEJ 避難所重新開放並運行。

「修復防空洞是我們基布茲安全的重要組成部分。 謝謝你，謝謝你，謝謝你！！」埃弗拉蒂驚呼道。「我要感謝慷慨的捐助者為我們的社區提供庇護所和保護多洛基布茲居民的幫助。 在最近的升級過程中，您捐贈的避難所為我們的居民在警報響起時提供了一個安全的地方，據說：「以色列每一個拯救生命的人，就好像他們拯救了整個世界。 」

ICEJ 負責援助和回返事務的副總裁妮可·約德 (Nicole Yoder) 表示，自今年年初以來，ICEJ 已幫助以色列社區建造了 6 個防空洞（包括便攜式避難所和翻新的地下避難所），另外 8 個防空洞正在建造中。

「這是一項成就，是透過我們來自 ICEJ美國分會、ICEJ德國分會、ICEJ加拿大分會、ICEJ瑞士分會和 ICEJ奧地利分會的朋友們的合作而實現的。有了這些庇護所，將為以色列社區提供的庇護所總數將達到 197 個。我們非常希望在 9 月的住棚節之前達到 200 個。」Nicole 分享道。