Responding to derogatory reports that many ‘miklats’ – bomb shelters, in Netivot and other southern areas are being used as shuls, IDF Colonel Dedi Simchi, Homefront Southern District Commander stated that the known trend is acceptable, and even preferable.

Simchi explained that bomb shelters are frequently used as shuls, meeting rooms, community rooms and businesses, explaining that their use seems to result in the bomb shelters being maintained as opposed to remaining vacant and deteriorating. In the event of a state of emergency, as has been the case in southern areas such as Ashkelon, the city notifies residents that bomb shelters must be opened and made available within four hours, and this system works fine.

The colonel added that that the bomb shelters do indeed provide protection, but in actuality, they are not an “ideal solution” since rarely is one within a 30 second run to such a facility, the amount of time a Netivot resident would have before a Gaza-launched rocket strikes.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)