David is an Iron Lion in Zion: Sderot

As part of Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, as participants we learn about Israel hands on with trips around the country learning about the various places and issues they face. On this trip, we went down south to the town of Sderot. If you have heard about Sderot, its probably because it was on the news. It was on the news because Sderot has been the victim of rocket attacks from terrorists within the Gaza Strip. The town itself is about 840 meters away from the border of the Gaza Strip. This makes it extremely susceptible to rocket attacks which are launched within the borders of the Gaza Strip. Due to the likeliness of being victim to rocket attacks, the town has bomb shelters everywhere. When the Tzeva Adom(Red Alert) goes off indicating an incoming rocket, citizens of Sderot have about 15-17 seconds to take shelter. When there are constant rocket attacks coming from Gaza, the town's administration goes underground to a bomb shelter facility where the municipality, the police, and the army work. We had the opportunity to meet with one person who works in this underground facility. We learned about the history of Sderot and its challenges being close to the border of Gaza. Before the disengagement from Gaza, many of the citizens of Sderot would go into the Gaza Strip to shop and eat in Gaza. They made friends and such which would seem to be a great thing. This however stopped from happening since the disengagement from Gaza in 2005. Many of the Israelis from Sderot had to stop contact with their friends in Gaza due to fear of being called a collaborator by Hamas. We also learned that the town has become a shelter town. Everywhere you go you will find a bomb shelter.The bus station on the main road of Sderot has a bomb shelter so that if a Tzeva Adom( Red Alert) goes off, people waiting for the bus have a place to take shelter. Schools are also shelters in Sderot. We passed a school and saw that in the school yard there were many shelters so that if the children are outside playing when a Tzeva Adom goes off they can easily run into the shelters. Many people that live in Sderot have experienced extreme trauma and stress due to the rocket attacks. This trauma and stress can be seen in the final scores of students from Sderot on their Bagrut(matriculation exams). We also met with a member of Migvan, an urban kibbutz in Sderot. The idea is that everyone that is part of kibbutz lives within a certain area of the city and works to within the city. It is a great idea that could be the next step within the overall kibbutz movement in Israel. We also got to talk with a former settler of Gaza or what is also known as Gush Khatif. We learned about the disengagement from Gaza and the aftermath of it. We learned that the settler movement in Gaza was purely agrarian. That they turned sand dunes into viable land for produce and flowers. After the disengagement from Gaza, we learned that the government did not handle the relocation of the members of Gush Khatif correctly. Many of the members were stuck in hotels for months after and some are still living in temporary housing. It was a very informative tour day and I was glad to learn about what is going on down south. It is essential to understand the story of Sderot to understand the developments within the conflict today. If you do not understand the story of Sderot, than you will not understand the IDF's operations in Gaza since the disengagement in 2005. Most citizens of Sderot want peace with their neighbors in Gaza. With that yearning for peace, they also want security. Without security they believe that peace for both people will be hard to achieve. This is what I believe in as well. If there is to be a lasting peace, there needs to be security not just for Israelis, but for Palestinians as well.

Street Art in Sderot by Artists 4 Israel