AJC Israel Emergency Assistance Fund to Build Resilience Center in Sderot
November 19, 2006 - New York - The American Jewish Committee announced today a $300,000 donation to Sderot to construct a resilience center that will provide psychological services to the city?s beleaguered residents. "The citizens of Sderot are on the front lines, and continue to be the targets of daily rocket assaults from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip," said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. "AJC solidarity delegations have visited Sderot since the rocket barrages began and seen the residents' determination to carry on, even as they face physical and psychological challenges from the daily threat." The contribution comes from AJC?s Israel Emergency Assistance Fund, launched in July, which has raised more than $2 million.
"AJC?s contribution is great news for the city during these hard times. The center and the psychological services it will offer are the real cure for the challenge of supporting our residents," said Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal. The resilience center will be built in the central square of the city in the old cinema building. It will provide a facility and professional staff to help residents deal with the long-term impact of the rocket attacks, which began more than a year ago, soon after Israel transferred control over Gaza to the Palestinian Authority. "With this support from our Israel Emergency Assistance Fund, we wish to express concretely our concern and compassion for Sderot and its citizens. Their situation deserves widespread support," said Harris. "Moreover, AJC will continue to advocate in the international community for greater recognition of Israel's security predicament and for denunciation of these totally unprovoked assaults, which are in clear violation of international law," Harris said. AJC?s Israel Emergency Assistance Fund has provided medical equipment to three hospitals in the north damaged by Hezbollah rocket attacks, as well as two cardiac care ambulances for Magen David Adom. During the war AJC delivered 500 first-aid kits to bomb shelters, hundreds of packages of toys and baby supplies to Jewish and Arab communities in the north, and completed a bomb shelter at a Haifa synagogue
Ari M. Gordon Program Associate, Intergroup Affairs The American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org