Yeshivat Hesder Sderot Emergency Building Campaign

Dear Friends,

As most of you are well aware, the situation in our town of Sderot remains extremely unsettling, with rockets being fired at our community a daily basis. In fact, over the past seven years over 6,000 Kassam rockets have been fired at Sderot by terrorists in Northern Gaza, which is less than a mile away. Eleven Israelis have been killed, while hundreds have been wounded, and literally thousands of others have been sent to the hospital suffering from shock and other traumas (including some of our students). The goal of the terrorists is clear – to turn Sderot into a ghost town, devoid of any Jewish life.

Despite the situation, the Hesder in Sderot has continued to flourish.  Located in the center of town, over 500 student/soldiers are currently enrolled in the Hesder's five-year program, which combines Israel's mandatory army service, with Torah study.  In addition, the Hesder remains a pillar in the community, reaching out to those in need from all walks of Jewish life during these difficult times. The Hesder is currently:

•  Volunteering to help residents whose lives have been shattered as a result of a missile attack.  Hesder students visit families within 24 hours of an attack, providing them with food, water, and toys for the children. The students also spend hours talking to the victims, giving them strength and support on their road to recovery/rebuilding
•  Working with young adults from various Jewish backgrounds and levels of observance to help them study Torah while obtaining an academic degree
•  Running a big brother program in the community to provide care and support for the children of Sderot
•  Running a program for retirees on the campus
•  Working with MDA to train the Hesder students to serve in the local MDA units. Many times a Hesder student is the first one on the scene following a kassam attack

All of this and much much more!

The Hesder is currently embarking on a major emergency fundraising campaign in order to construct new "kassam proof" dormitories on campus.  Forty two individual units, each one built with the proper reinforcement to withstand the impact of a rocket attack, are being planned, at a cost of $18,000 per unit. These units are in immediate need, as the students were forced off campus and into temporary housing since their current dormitories were deemed unsafe from rocket attacks.

Therefore, we are calling upon you, to help raise the funds necessary to make this project a reality. As it is written in Sanhedrin 37, "saving one life is like saving the entire world." Please help in fulfilling this Mitzvah which is of the utmost importance.

Contributions can be made online by credit card by clicking here.

Sincerely,

Rabbi David Fendel
Rosh Yeshiva
Yeshivat Hesder Sderot