Safe Rooms Will Protect Survivors in Be’er Sheva
The Claims Conference and Amigour are building more shelters to protect residents during rocket attacks. Pictured: residents, pass their time by learning new computer skills in the safety and comfort of fortified rooms.
During the summer of 2014, with Israel under constant attack, the Claims Conference saw how its work to provide safe rooms in Amigour sheltered housing units helped protect its residents, nearly all of whom are Nazi victims.
With southern cities having faced attacks for years, the Claims Conference partnered with Amigour to build protected rooms in Ashkelon, which we know were used extensively, unfortunately, this summer. As well, in the north we have worked with Amigour to establish protected rooms in buildings in areas subject to Hezbollah rocket attacks.
However, Nazi victims in Amigour housing in Be’er Sheva had no protected rooms this summer, and the public shelter is far from the building. In October 2014, we embarked on constructing protected rooms in this complex so that its residents are safer — and feel safer.
Claims Conference Vice President Natan Sharansky said that during the big wave of Soviet immigration to Israel in the 1990’s, the Israeli government, in which he served as a young minister, had to deal with a serious housing challenge, specifically for the aging immigrants. He noted that at that critical point in time, the Claims Conference had reached a “very brave and not so trivial decision” to assist with building the much needed, adequate housing solutions for the Nazi victims among them.
These Holocaust victims may once again be under attack, but this time they know they are not alone. The Claims Conference will protect them for as long as is needed.
