June 2, 2014, we drove to a Na'mat sponsored child care in Sderot. Na'mat is a Jewish worldwide organization that helps low income women become self sustaining, as well as other projects. The day care takes children as young as 3 months and services all religions and ethnicities. Our connection with this organization is Judy and Stu Telman. The day care had loving care givers, was bright and cheery, clean, and had an on site bomb shelters. Sderot is just outside of the Gaza Strip and has been under heavy attack since July 7, 2014.
Children are beautiful everywhere.
This was a lesson on food and the process of making flour.
Joan and I distributed hygiene kits to the children. Jillian and Jason helped.
Linda taught them Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.
They had a lovely lunch prepared for us afterwards. Stu and Judy Telman and the directors of the day care are with us.
After our tour of the day care center, they arranged for us to meet with the Police Chief for a tour of Sderot headquarters and a lookout over the Gaza.
These are part of the rockets that have been fired from the Gaza strip into Sderot.
Each house has it's own bomb shelter. The white brick building on the front is a shelter. The people have 90 sec. after the siren goes off to get to a safe place. All of the bus stops in Sderot are bomb shelters.
This man is the Police Chief for Sderot. Gaza is the city in the background. Gaza is a very poor city that is ruled by the Hamas government. The unemployment rate is 50% and 80% of the people live below the poverty line.
View into Gaza from Sderot
The separation wall outside Gaza
Zoomed in view from Sderot
Blaine, Police Chief, Linda
Stu and Judy are friends from the Sunday Night Concert Series. They come almost every time and help us usher. They're both pro active, giving people, who like to stay involved. To give back to the Concert Series, they invite the JC couples to Shabbat dinner periodically. They are originally from Chicago but made Aliyah (moving to Jerusalem as part of the Zionist movement) in the 1980's. Judy is very involved with the Jewish Women's Association called Na'Amat. 
After our tour of the city, we went to a recreation center for children. It's designed so children can play as children without the threat of danger. It has 2 bomb shelters that take less than 90 sec. to access. It is available to all children even if they can't afford the admission. It is very bright and cheery even without any windows.
Beautiful children, and a wonderful work you're doing there at the BYU Jerusalem Center. Blessings to you!
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