Source: World ORT Facebook
Yesterday, students at World ORT- affiliated schools near the Gaza Strip took part in a national drill on how to continue their education when their schools are closed due to an emergency, such as an earthquake. Today, they’re doing it for real after a morning in which the ground shook with the impact of dozens of rockets fired by Hamas.
“Our students know that when the school is closed they should log on at home and see what work is being set for them,” said the World ORT Innovation Leader at Sha’ar HaNegev High School, Zohar Nir Levy. “For three years already we have been practicing this on at least two days per year. Perhaps the only ones who didn’t know were our new students in Grade 7 but they learned about it yesterday.”
Ironically, Sha’ar HaNegev’s new rocket-proof campus means that it can afford better protection than some children can get at home, particularly those who live in small villages where houses don’t have the reinforced ‘safe rooms’ which are now mandatory in new buildings. However, it was closed today by order of the military the same as other schools in the region.
“It’s closed even though it’s sheltered and protected. The problem is that you have to bring the children from their houses to the bus station, get them on the bus and send them to school: it was this that meant no school today. Most of the rockets this morning fell between 6am and 8am – when children are travelling to school. It was very scary because there was bombing all around the area, all the time. Even my dog was hysterical,” Ms Nir Levy said. “We hope it will be better tomorrow.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that Hamas had taken responsibility for firing more than 70 rockets since yesterday evening. The barrage resulted in five injuries, including two foreign workers who were evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Medical Centre in Be’er Sheva in a critical condition.
See this article and accompanying photos on World ORT's Facebook page.