Adopt-a-Grandchild      The Zechariah 8:5      Bundles of Hugs      What Israelis say about Hugs      Testimonies and Comments      Pray for Hugs for Israel      Receive our Newsletters      Praise Report
	Sign up for our FREE Email Newsletter
	Recommend This Site To:   Name:   Email:   Your Name:

Make a Hugs donation

Hugs in Sderot

(If you are a returning visitor to this page, and want to see the latest updates in Sderot, skip the introductory paragraph below and click on the links following it)

Sderot (pronounced ‘stir-rote’) located in the Western Negev is located approximately 1 kilometer (less than a mile) from the Gaza Strip. According to 2004 census stats, the city had a total population of 19,900 residents. At that time there were 14 schools and more than 3,500 students.

Hugs has been involved with this town since the rocket attack on the Lilach Gan (a kindergarten) in June 2004 when a 4-year-old boy was killed in front of the school.

Over the course of the current intifada, Sderot has been the target of hundreds of Kassam rocket attacks which have only escalated in the past few weeks. The media continuously refers to these rockets as “home-made” and “inaccurate” as if to diminish their lethalness. Still it cannot be denied that they are deadly and constitute a very real danger as verified by the deaths of 4 people…3 of whom were children…and the many more wounded and traumatized from the near constant barrage of these rockets.

Last year, the Israeli government installed an early warning system to detect incoming rockets. At the sound of the alarm, known as Shakar Adom (Red Dawn), residents have only 20 seconds in which to race to a “safe room.” One adult resident said that because of the attacks throughout the night, she is afraid to sleep very soundly in the event that she needs to go quickly to the safe room. This has resulted in many of the residents suffering anxiety and depression and children experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. One little girl named Ruti, severely traumatized by the attack at the kindergarten and the death of her friend was under psychological treatment. To read her story, here . The family decided to move recently to the city of Ashdod in order to spare her the continued trauma of the rocket attacks. The mother told us that when the little girl (now 6 years old) learned that they were moving away from Sderot, she hugged her mother and said “Thank you Mother, for taking me away from this place.” We are now in contact with them in Ashdod.

In the midst of these attacks, there have many miracles. One of those miracles was when a rocket (photo to the left) went through the ceiling of a classroom just after the children were returning from their morning prayers. The children had not yet gone into the classroom and the rocket failed to explode. Praise the LORD!
Read the full stoy in an article by Michael Freund titled, Operation Prayer Shield for Israel

Below are a few of the children and institutions we have been involved with in Sderot.

• Lilach Gan



The kindergarten where the 4-year-old little boy was killed by a rocket attack the day before the end of the school year in June 2004. We made our first donation of an inflatable bounce here in November 2004. Since that time, we travel to the town on a regular basis and have developed an on-going and deep relationship with the two adjacent kindergartens in the area as well as with families of other children who have been victims of these attacks, some of whom you will read about below. Click on the link, “What Israelis Say About Hugs” to your right to read the letter the Director wrote to us. Then visit the Photo Gallery to see more photos.




• Daniel



A 5-year-old boy wounded in the June 2004 Kassam rocket attack on the Lilach Gan. His mother was also wounded in the same attack.





 

• Vered



A 4-year-old Ethiopian Jewish girl whose 2-year-old sister was killed in a Kassam rocket attack in the area adjacent to their home.

 

 

• Yuriel

A 4-year-old-boy who was at the kindergarten when it was attacked by the Kassam rocket in June 2004. His grandfather was also killed in the same rocket attack.
• Sigalit

The eight-year-old sister of Yuriel above. Her grandfather was killed in the June 2004 Kassam rocket attack on the kindergarten.

 




• Michal

A 4-year-old girl who was at the kindergarten during the June 2004 Kassam rocket attack.

 




• Tamir

An 11-year-old boy wounded in a January 2005 Kassam rocket attack. His 17-year-old sister, Ella, sustained critical wounds when she tried to shield him. She later died of her injuries.