- Israel

No Longer Having to Hide Under a Stairwell

An immigrant from Morocco, Meyer, 76, has lived in the Galilee seaside town of Tiberias since arriving in Israel 45 years ago. He remained in the city during the month of Hezbollah’s incessant rocket attacks despite wanting to leave, at least for a short while. He stayed in Tiberias because he simply couldn’t afford to go anywhere else.

As his building lacked a bomb shelter, Meyer sought refuge under the edifice’s main stairwell during the 34 days of Katyusha attacks underneath his building’s main stairwell. A widower and deeply religious man, Meyer spent his days and nights alone in the sweltering stairwell, praying for the rocket attacks to end. For nearly a month, Meyer was able only to journey to a nearby synagogue for prayers—the synagogue is located in a bomb shelter and thus provided its congregants relative safety while they gathered in prayer.

Unable to travel without the help of a cane due to chronic knee problems, Meyer relied on neighbors to bring him food and basic necessities like soap and toilet paper.

Then, with the help of JDC, Meyer boarded a bus out of Tiberias as part of the "Respite for the Elderly" program. Organized by JDC-ESHEL in partnership with the Government of Israel, the program provided the north’s elderly population with five-daylong "vacations" to areas out of the line of fire.

Meyer traveled to Jerusalem’s Olive Tree Hotel where he was joined by hundreds of other elderly citizens of the north. Together they ate, prayed, saw the city of Jerusalem and shared their experiences from the previous month. JDC arranged group sessions as part of the respite where Meyer was able to get the psychological assistance he required, in a comfortable setting.

A day before he was to return to the north, the missile attacks came to a halt. "I’m glad I can return to my old life and my old routine," explains Meyer, "but I’m scared the attacks can be resumed at any moment." In the meantime, he would like to piece back together the life he had before the bombs began to fall.

August 2006