During the last attacks from the Gaza strip, we received many phone calls asking for help. About fifty Grad rockets and Kassams fell on cities adjacent to the Gaza strip daily, making normal life impossible.
Despite the tremendous success of the Iron Dome that intercepted about 90% of the rockets, people were under terrible stress as they had to run to shelters every 15 minutes. Representatives of several municipalities decided to evacuate children from Ashkelon, Ashdod and Bnei Aish to offer them respite. The idea was simple – to bus the children for a day to the Safari in Ramat Gan or elsewhere to give them and their parents relief – just one day where they could escape the ugly reality of the war. Just a day. One bus for 50 kids would cost $600 per day, and we needed 10 buses urgently. To our great joy the response from our friends was immediate and generous. Not only could we pay for the buses – we could also visit invalids in their homes and bring them food packages immediately after the ceasefire was declared. We invited Holocaust victims and veterans and provided a generous meal for more than 500 people. Similar projects have been held in the past.
