On July 27th, Israeli Druze youngsters were playing soccer when a violent explosion interrupted their game and 12 children between the ages of 8-14 were killed on the spot and sixteen children were injured including seven in serious condition by the impact of a rocket fired by Hezbollah in the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.

As our hearts break and our prayers go out to the Druze community, we also acknowledge that funding efforts to support Druze not-for-profits has lagged behind other segments of the population in Israel.  For some time now, PEF has been researching the needs of this community, who are over-represented amongst combat soldiers and casualties in protecting citizens of Israel. The tragic death of 12 youngsters who could not reach a bomb shelter in time highlights the timely need for bomb shelters. These shelters not only save lives, but permit sports, camps, classes and other social activities to occur for these citizens of the North who have not evacuated their villages.

Currently there is no, or limited government plan to deploy shelters (at least in 2024). This has been verified with the planners and the towns which lack the financial resources to procure their own. An analysis of philanthropic dollars going to Israel via DAFs from the US highlights that the Druze community has not been well supported through philanthropic funding. 

Prior to a three-month parliamentary recess, a joint meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee and the State Audit Committee exposed gaps in protection for residents of northern Israel. Officials prioritized the immediate safety of communities near the Lebanese border that were not evacuated. Unfortunately, this is a time for deeds, not words.

In the meantime, and with the help of the project coordinator who led the effort to rapidly deploy low-cost shelters for the Bedouin Communities near the Gaza Envelope, we have identified Ofakim LeAtid, a PEF approved amutah which is uniquely qualified to develop and deploy a plan with the following components:

• Identified initial areas of need with government planners, local communities and partners for implementation. 
• Identified and vetted the most appropriate shelters to install based on safety needs, time to deploy, availability from the manufacturers, and very good contract cost (“Best cost” is impossible to verify given delivery needs). 
• Self-funded and sourced initial funding for pilot. 

Initial estimates of need are 40-50 fast deploy shelters at approximately $500,000-$650,000 to purchase and install, at a price of $12,500 per shelter plus some likely logistical cost/support at that scale and number of towns. Our self-contributed and initial funding is $100,000 enough for 6 shelters as a proof of concept. 

Requested additional support: $400,000-$550,000. 

For more information, go to the PEF website of Ofakim LeAtid https://pefisrael.org/charity/ofakim-leatid/ where you can also make an ACH contribution (Maximum fee of $5) or donate by credit card using our Giving Widget. Please designate:  Bomb Shelters for Druze.  In the Documents section is a further description of the project.

Additional PEF approved charities supporting the Druze are:

Mofid Amer Achaim Association for Life in memory of Saleh Fallah – Scholarships

Haamota Lezecher Zidan Seef Zal  PTSD support – in memory policeman killed saving worshipers in Jerusalem Synagogue attack

Druze Scout Movement Bnai Maruf – Fostering Druze community and culture for youth

Northern Arrow  Helping Druze excel in the Army and job market

Al-Rowad for the Education & Prevention of Violence in Arab & Druze Society

Fund for Aid to the Druze in Israel  Entrepreneurial training and scholarships

The Druze Veterans Association – Hi-tech mentorship