Serving residents and IDF troops near the Gaza border
Undoubtedly, there is no city in the world that suffers as much from continuous artillery bombardment throughout the year as the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Located less than a mile from northern Gaza, Sderot (population 27,000) has been under regular rocket and mortar attack by Palestinian terror groups since 2001, and has been a daily target of many of the more than 3,500 missiles that have been fired at population centers in Israel in the last nine days.
“Every facet of life here in Sderot is affected by the rockets,” Rabbi Asher Pizam, 32, of Chabad of Sderot told Chabad.org. “Children growing up under these circumstances cannot have a normal life. Parents cannot just let them run outside and play freely. Here, every school and every bus stop is armored. The city is full of bomb shelters, and one always needs to know where the closest one is. Once the Red Alert air-raid siren goes off, we have less than 15 seconds to seek cover. My four children sleep in our home’s safe room all year round.”
For residents of Sderot, this is nothing new—and nothing anyone can get used to. Every few years since Israel evacuated its citizens and military forces from Gaza in 2005, there has been a major conflict during which IDF forces attack terrorist infrastructure while Hamas and Islamic Jihad shoot rockets at Israeli cities, mostly in the Gaza region (southwest Israel) but reaching as far as north as Tel Aviv and its suburbs, especially during the most recent round of fighting.
Sderot, however, is frequently bombarded in between major conflicts, during what is considered to be “periods of calm.” Sderot does not enjoy lengthy periods of calm. Even on a slow news day, major world media outlets are unlikely to report a few rockets being fired at Sderot from Gaza. Rockets raining down on Sderot have become a matter of routine, normalized, unworthy of mention.
Pizam was born in Sderot; his entire adult life has been shaped by the rockets. There was a Red Alert signaling a barrage of incoming rockets as he spoke on the phone with Chabad.org. Chabad’s kindergarten was hit by a rocket Monday night, following the Shavuot holiday, though fortunately, no one was hurt.
Chabad of Sderot runs a number of programs in the city, including schools, lectures, and distributing food and other basic provisions to the elderly and the homebound who cannot leave their apartment for fear of being stranded out in the open during a Code Red alert with only seconds to run to shelter. Chabad also reaches out to the many soldiers stationed near the city providing them with religious items, holiday food and treats in appreciation of their service.
Because of the situation, the job of a Chabad emissary in the city takes on added meaning. “A large segment of the local population is poor and requires government aid, which Chabad helps facilitate, but the intensity of life in this city has opened my eyes to many miracles and shown me G‑d’s involvement in seemingly mundane events,” director of Chabad of Sderot Rabbi Moshe Zeev Pizam, told Chabad.org.
“We are on a mission sent here by the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory], and as human beings, we are prone to fear and other negative emotions, but we remain steadfast in our mission. I think to myself, when faced with a difficult situation, would the Rebbe think to flee? Of course not, and neither will we. Our faith is constantly being tested here, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but neither would I give it up for any amount of money,” he said, referencing the way the Sixth Rebbe—Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory—described his prison ordeal under the Soviets.
Living under the constant threat of rockets is stressful and anxiety-inducing, and many of Sderot’s residents suffer from some form of PTSD. Children are especially vulnerable to increased anxiety resulting in bedwetting, incessant nightmares and other psychological issues requiring extensive therapeutic intervention.
‘Many Never Fully Overcome the Trauma’
“People are affected in many ways; they are on edge, jumping at every loud sound. Some have sudden anger outbursts, others suddenly burst into tears or begin shaking. People have weird dreams and nightmares. Because the situation is ongoing for so many years, every frightening incident, such as an unexpected Code Red alert or an explosion, is compounded because it immediately evokes previous traumatic incidents. Many never fully overcome the trauma,” explained Pizam. “Now, during this latest round of hostilities with many rockets reaching the central region of the country, people from all over are just starting to understand under what conditions we live.”
“Nevertheless,” he adds, “we witness miracles all the time—rockets that score a direct hit on an empty apartment while all the surrounding apartments are occupied. When I say the “al haNissim” prayer thanking G‑d for the miracles and wonders, it speaks to me. It doesn’t feel like an abstract concept or ancient history. I feel G‑d’s involvement in daily occurrences.”
Reut Ofir, 42, relocated to Sderot with her family four years ago when her husband got a job at the local Amdocs branch. They were glad to discover the Chabad House and immediately warmed to Rabbi Pizam, drawn by his genuine concern for the people of Sderot and the tight-knit community Chabad offered. They even send their kids to the Chabad school in Ashkelon.
“My kids look forward to going to Chabad on Shabbat. There is so much going on there, whether it’s activities for the kids, birthday parties or the many acts of kindness that the Pizams do behind the scenes, with no fanfare,” she said. “It’s heartwarming to see such devotion. Chabad feels like family to us. Since moving to Sderot, whenever we travel we now seek out Chabad.”
