Farewell OTZMA 2009, Lehitraot!

L-R: Warner, Suzanne, Jamie, Sigal, Emily, Jared

Our five Otzma volunteers have spent two months living and volunteering in Ashkelon. Emily, Jamie, Suzanne, Jared and Warner will be leaving Ashkelon tomorrow, to face new challenges in Israel and abroad.

During their time in Ashkelon, these five young people made an impact wherever they went. They stayed at Kalanit student absorption center. They volunteered at Rotem and Harel Primary Schools, and also at a number of Moadoniot (child care facilities), at the Tali kindergarten, at Beit Tzipora after-school program, Beit Canada absorption center, at Burton community center and at Halperin Home for the Elderly.

Ashkelon host families opened their homes and hearts to our 5 volunteers, who felt that the hospitality they received was like "a home away from home". Strong, warm connections were made.

In between volunteering, our Otzmaniks found time to go to the beach, ride their bicycles around Ashkelon, exercise at the gym, socialize with Ashkelon's young people, attend some pop concerts, and even skydive.

We hope that this important program will be repeated. (Nicole)

Ashkelon Diller CSI Teens in Baltimore

Click on a photo to enlarge it !

The Ashkelon and Baltimore partners meet at last, in Baltimore!

Diller Teens leave for Baltimore

Our Diller Teen Fellow Leadership Group have just left Ashkelon to spend 8 days in Baltimore!

There were touching farewell scenes but the Ashkelon teens were excited to begin their big adventure, and looking forward to meeting their Baltimore partners.

Gilad Shalit - 1000+ days a Prisoner of the Hamas

photo by Gil Yohanan (ynet) of the Shalit family in the protest tent in Jerusalem this week

Today, Saturday, March 21, 2009, marks 1,000 days of captivity of the soldier Gilad Shalit, held in Gaza by the radical Islamist Hamas movement since June 25, 2006. Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas, Army of Islam and Popular Resistance Committees terrorists in an attack on an IDF outpost at a Gaza crossing, where two other soldiers were killed and a fourth was gravely wounded. br>
The Shalit family will commemorate the date with a mass rally in Jerusalem this evening.

The Hamas has never allowed the International Red Cross to visit Gilad Shalit. The Hamas' denial of visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) violates the Geneva Convention. The Shalit family still have no proof of whether he is alive, or of his physical and psychological condition.

During its final days in office, the Olmert government attempted a last-ditch bid to secure Gilad Shalit's release, through intensive indirect negotations, mediated by Egypt, with Hamas. The negotiations collapsed this week over the Hamas' insistence that Israel free hardcore militants imprisoned in Israeli jails These dangerous terrorists were involved in planning some of the worst terrorist and suicide-bomb attacks that killed many Israeli civilians and have publicly declared that when released they hope to kill more Israelis.

Pupils from Ort Henri Ronson High School in Ashkelon went up by bus to Jerusalem to support the Shalit family and take part in the vigil in the protest tent. This sticker was designed by 1oth grade student Itai Ben Naim and all the students

wore it on their shirts. 1000 days in captivity. How much longer?

nicole

Mosaic Tree Panels for Park Baltimore

An exciting exhibition opened yesterday in the city: A group of Ashkelon artists, trained by Ashkelon's own world-renowned mosaic artist Ilana Shafir, are exhibiting mosaic panels, all with the theme of "The Tree of Eden" . The colorful mosaic wall panels will be mounted on a wall in Park Baltimore after the exhibition.

Nira Portugaly, one of the mosaic artists explained: "The panels are made using Ilana Shafir's original technique which is called 'spontaneous mosaic' whereby scraps of pottery, stones and shells collected from nature, and specially made ceramic elements are all combined together in a spontaneous mosaic creation".

Tova Shafran, one of the mosaic artists, thanked Ilana Shafir and noted that she will celebrate her 85th birthday this week. The panels are a gift from the artists to the city and will be displayed in Park Baltimore after the exhibition.

Adloyada- Purim in Ashkelon

HAPPY PURIM !

Thousands of Askelonians participated today in the traditional Adloyada. 2 things threatened the Adloyada- bad weather and rockets . As we woke up today we saw the weather was beautiful, sunny , not too hot . Rockets ? Well , luckily -no rockets today !

The parade started at the science school at 11:00am . The theme this year was - Fairy tales and children books. Huge figures made by professionals , lots of children dressed up in groups- schools, community centers , dance groups . We saw lots of Snowwhites, Peter Pans, Bilbis, and Israeli story figures. At the end of the parade , everyone gathered for a Happening with children's stars , dancers and singers.

Mayor Benny Vaknin , (also known as King Achshverosh for today) said that he is proud to see that the Ashkelonians did not let the terror threat stop the Purim celebrations and that so many people came to take part in the Adloyada.

Fortifying Schools in Ashkelon

The Minister of Religious Affairs, Itzhak Cohen has notified Shlomo Cohen, Ashkelon's Deputy Mayor, that the government has approved the plan to fortify the unprotected schools and kindergartens in Ashkelon against rocket attacks. Minister Cohen, a resident of Ashkelon, assisted the communication between Ashkelon and the government - with the help of Yuli Tamir, the Minister of Education.

The program will start in schools and kindergartens that currently have no bomb shelters or other protection against rocket attacks. The project will be funded by the Ministry of Defence. Mobile reinforced concrete shelters ("Miguniyot") will be placed in schoolyards.

Mayor Benny Vaknin said that he hopes the execution will be quick and take place without delay - because of the security situation. Saturday's rocket attack, where a missile damaged a school was a graphic demonstration of what can happen in the case of unprotected educational institutions.

The above photo shows a teacher in the wreckage-strewn computer lab at the school in Ashkelon that was hit by a Hamas rocket this last Saturday. (Photo by Joshua Mitnick: http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c40_a15075/News/Israel.html)

Getting ready for school

Last night we got a text message from the parents committee of one of our kids' school that there will be a strike tomorrow in all the schools in Ashkelon , exept 10th to 12th grade students that have final exams coming up soon. Saturday's grad rocket, an improved one, that destroyed a highschool , changed all the rules . If this had happened on a school day the results would have been horrible - it is a true miracle it was a Saturday !

So: The teachers will be at the classes ,schools will be open , but the parents were asked to keep the kids at home.Each parent can decide what to do with his kids ! OK , a dilema , what should I do ? I have 3 kids , each goes to a diffrent school.

My youngest one, in 2nd grade ,goes to a school with even no minimal security .It's very old and the classrooms are unprotected. The kids hide under the tables when there's a siren or next to a northern wall ??? ... I have to go to work so I took her to her afternoon club , that is now open since the morning , and we pay extra. My son's school has sheltered areas, but he is 8th grade , most of his friends are staying at home , so he doesn't want to be alone in the class , he stayed home , a day off ... My oldest goes to the Art school , again old buildings , one shelter for 400 children ! She is on 12th grade , final test are soon. I took her to school ,she must study for the matric tests .

Shlomo Cohen , our deputy mayor ,says the Municipality supports the PTI , and join their demand from the governement to fortify and sheild all the educational institute in Ashkelon . At the same time , he realizes that closing the school paralizes the entire city .

Update

Shrapnel damage to reinforced concrete school walls on Saturday (Pic: Itai Levi - Haaretz)

When Hamas rockets explode, they scatter ballbearings, nails and sharp shards of metal that slice into anything in their way

We just got a message that there will be no school tomorrow , except 10th-12th grade that have final exam coming up soon. The rocket that hit the high school yesterday was an improved one , biggest ever. This is why it penetrated the metal door and walls, broke through the concrete which was relied on to protect students and teachers from an attack. Only the fact that it was Saturday when there was no school, prevented a tragedy.

There are 10 schools , including my youngest daughter's school , and 22 kindergardens that have NO shelters or protected areas. The 50 schools and 120 kindergardens that have partial protection have no protection for these kind of rockets . The rockets are getting bigger, more powerful, with improved aim and longer range.

All the schools in Ashkelon will be closed until the government decides to fortify all the schools . Shlomo Cohen was interviewed on channel 2 tv , said that the governement refuses to take action in protecting the schools therefore he understands the parents' committee's decision. The teachers will be at all the schools , and the parents can decide what to do with the kids ! What a balagan !

Meanwhile another rocket hit Sderot this evening . In all , 7 rockets fired from Gaza, today. Channel 2 TV reported on Thursday that new more powerful longer-range rockets are STILL coming in to Gaza through the tunnels.

Shows a crater where One of the Grad rockets landed, on Saturday (pic: Yonatan Legayev, ynet)