(Some thoughts on bomb shelters and missiles, with a request at the end:)
For someone who’s been itching for a war with Iran for decades, our prime minister didn’t actually prepare this country for war with Iran.
Of the 11,775 public bomb shelters in this country, around 1 in 9 are officially unfit. In some areas of Israel, that number rises to 1 in 5. Untold more shared bomb shelters – like the one for our building – have also been officially declared unfit over the years, with no steps taken to fix or upgrade them.
These shelters are the primary defense for 20% of the population against ICBM’s targeting us.
An additional 33% of the population doesn’t even have access to a shared bomb shelter or a reinforced shelter space in their home.
That means we have missiles raining daily with half the population either unprotected or dependent on shelters that in many cases are unfit to protect us.
In situations like ours, it is possible to privately upgrade the bomb shelter, replacing the decrepit doors and enclosing the pre-Gulf War apertures in the walls – but the estimated cost, $12,000, is more than we and our neighbors can collectively afford on budgets already stretched thin by years of war and rising costs.
Needless to say, this problem will only become more urgent as the interceptors are depleted and ICBM’s start landing across Israel at much higher rates.
I’m thinking of maybe putting together a campaign to raise money from our friends in American Jewish communities. I’d like to help other Israelis in situations similar to ours, who are dependent on shelters that are officially unfit during a crapshoot of a prolonged war in which adequate protection is becoming increasingly important.
If you would like to contribute ideas, time, or money to help me organize and implement this project, please be in touch. 🙏