"City of Refuge" • In an impressive union of forces, dozens of shelters were trained and the hand is still tilted ○ Haifa during war ◄ Video

(Lived here in the 'Iron Swords' war) - Many shelters in shared buildings in neighborhoods considered disadvantaged, were trained as part of the 'Shelter City' project. During the last week, 200 shelters were mapped and 80 were trained.

Many shelters in Haifa in private and shared residential buildings are not suitable and you cannot stay in them during an emergency or war in Haifa. These are shelters that have become warehouses over the years or those that for years stored waste, house contents and more. There are shelters that have no lighting or have flooding and plumbing problems. The tenants in those buildings are often elderly or belong to a disadvantaged population and are unable to take care of the shelters and train them so that they can provide protection in times of war.

uniting and working for the community

The election headquarters of Adv. David Etzioni, which these days has become an aid headquarters in cooperation with the Home Front Command, the JNF association and the National Fund for Israel have begun the project 'Shelter City' in which shelters are mapped and trained throughout the city. As part of the project, 22 have been mapped so far (Monday 10/23/200) Shelters in Haifa - in the neighborhoods of Neve Shanan, Neve David, Shaar Aliya and Kiryat Eliezer, of which 80 have been trained and the work continues.

A city of refuge

The "Shelter City" project is an initiative of the JNF UK organization, the Make a Neighborhood organization and the Community Centers Association, which is designed to use thousands of shared shelters in the disadvantaged neighborhoods of the northern cities and prepare them for the possibility of a second front.

The JNF UK organization is a Jewish-British organization that for years has participated in dozens of projects to strengthen settlements and the weakened populations in the periphery, the Negev and the north.

We must take advantage of this time

Yonatan Galon, director of JNF UK in Israel and Aviad Friedman, one of the leaders of the initiative: "We are working in the northern settlements to train thousands of shelters in shared buildings for extended stays, in case another front opens in the north. The project is particularly urgent because the northern home front, which is expected to be hit particularly hard, is not prepared for such an emergency. We must use this time to learn the lesson from the events in the south And especially from the 2nd Lebanon War, when many shelters became warehouses full of scraps and were not suitable for a long stay. Right now we still have a few golden hours to continue the work, fix the electricity and water, put in mattresses and anything else essential and be as prepared as possible in the north to protect the citizens. For the purpose That's how we need as many volunteers as possible."

The election headquarters became an emergency headquarters

Yaron Keren Tzvi, the sixth candidate on Etzioni's list who previously served as the director of the northern units in the VAT and is currently active in the project, told Lahi Fa: "David Etzioni's headquarters became an emergency headquarters and joined together with the Home Front Command and the JNF association and the National Fund for Israel with the aim of cleaning, tidying up and using shelters and helping the vulnerable elderly population and needy whose shelters are in poor condition. Every morning I receive a list of streets that I need to map with a team from the headquarters and the home command. We travel from house to house mapping the shelters. In places where the shelter is not usable, we clean, organize and dispose of their contents. If there are shelters where there is a problem with electricity or plumbing, we turn to donors and they assist in the repair and thus we help the population. I call on all the candidates to join and volunteer, as well as the residents."

We are in this together

Noam Tsadik, who has been managing the aid headquarters in Haifa since the beginning of the war and also manages Etzioni's election campaign, added in a conversation with Lahi Fe: "On a personal level, especially at this time, it is important that we maintain the continuation of our shared existence in Haifa. In addition to my professional role, I am part of the CrossFit community in Haifa and I I feel proud when I see Jews and Arabs training together, united. Haifa is a role model for the whole world. I invite everyone to protect it and feel proud of it, we are in this together. Be alert and take care of yourselves, everyone is invited to follow our activities in the media and contact us." .