Sderot

I don't suppose many tourists will wanna go to Sderot... a small town so close to the Gaza strip that it gets bombarded by rockets every so often. It has been 11 years since Israel pulled out of the Gaza strip... and for 11 years, people in Sderot have lived in fear of rockets launched from the Gaza strip. Sensors can detect incoming rockets and sirens go off to warn the populace. When that happens, the residents have no more than 15 seconds to get into a bomb shelter. It doesn't matter if you're sitting on the toilet... are showering... or have 3 children to find and gather up, you have 15 seconds before the bomb hits. That means 15 seconds to get yourself somewhere that will keep you alive.

Kids have been so traumatised that they refuse to go to the toilet in the daytime. They don't want to be caught with their pants down when the rockets come in. Other kids will sleep nowhere else than their parents' room. The latest spate of bombardment was only 2 weeks ago... so yes, it is not history I write of here... it is current reality.

You would think that after 11 years, the town would be deserted? It is instead a thriving suburb. Property prices are on the rise. Roads are well maintained and gardens are neat. The guide explained, "The people here are strong. They have the resolve to NOT allow acts of terrorism to change the way they live. This is our home and we will not run. We might die but we will not yield."

You cannot help but admire such courage... not from soldiers but from normal people like you and I. When The Bible documents that the Jewish people are a bunch of stiff-necked people, I think it is an understatement. These people have titanium necks.

All the schools in this town are new. At the cost of millions, the entire school is built of reinforced concrete able to withstand rocket hits. This way, students in school can continue with lessons no matter how many rockets are coming in. Below, you can see the picture of a school wall that suffered nary a dent from a rocket that crashed its nose right into it.

Remains of rockets.

Direct rocket hit in a school.