Local advocates promote bomb shelters for Israelis

It must be every Israeli parent's worst fear: While the children play outside, militants launch rockets across the border. The air-raid sirens go off. There is a minute or less to find shelter from the incoming weapon and its spray of shrapnel.

But what if there were a place for people at the playground, park or outdoor market to take cover? What if a bomb shelter were nearby?

That's the aim of evangelical Christian activist Earl Cox, a Charleston resident and vocal supporter of Israel. Operation LifeShield, a project to build and deploy above-ground, reinforced-concrete bomb shelters in Israel, is the latest effort Cox is supporting to help protect Israelis.

Militants in Gaza targeting Israeli border communities periodically

launch Qassam missiles and Katyusha rockets, sometimes loaded with nails and other objects.

"From September 2005 through May 2007, Palestinian armed groups fired almost 2,700 rockets into Israel, killing 4 Israeli civilians and injuring 75 civilians and at least nine soldiers, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs," reports Human Rights Watch in a publication issued this month.

"An additional six civilians died in rocket attacks from mid-2004 through August 2005. Palestinian rockets have also killed at least two and injured at least 21 Palestinian civilians when they landed short of the Israeli border. The rockets, made in Gaza and generically known as 'Qassams' after the name of the armed wing of Hamas, are highly inaccurate and cannot be directed at a specific target," Human Rights Watch reports.

The deadly fire, however, goes both ways.

"From September 2005 through May 2007, ... the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) fired 14,617 artillery shells into Gaza," Human Rights Watch reports. "This fire killed at least 59 people, wounded another 270 people, and did significant damage to many civilian structures."

But it's the constant threat against Israelis that Cox, who is part of the Christian Zionist movement, wants to address, he said. And he's getting support from Rabbi Ari Sytner of Brith Sholom Beth Israel synagogue, Charleston's Orthodox congregation. The two men said they hope the bomb shelter program will garner support from Jewish and Christian organizations throughout the U.S.

American-Israeli Josh Adler, who founded Operation LifeShield with his business partner, Shep Alster, said he has put his career in the building industry on hold in order to roll out shelters. He was prompted to take action after witnessing the discomfort and psychological trauma endured by Jewish families holed up in overcrowded and poorly ventilated shelters in the north of the country during the recent war in Lebanon.

"The majority of civilians wounded or killed (during the conflict) were caught outside," Adler said. "But an even bigger problem was the trauma of the children stuck inside."

The children didn't really understand why they could not play in the fields or walk in the sunshine, he said, and the stress this caused was painful to behold.

On May 20, the partners introduced their first shelter, certified by the Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command. Since then, they have installed six more and developed a protective bus shelter that might be widely deployed. By placing these shelters in open spaces, markets and along streets, Adler hopes to offer Israelis a new option that can ensure their safety and ease their anxiety, he said.

So far the project has been funded by Adler and Alster, but now Adler is relying on donations to facilitate a large-scale rollout. The sooner the better, he said. Another war could be just around the corner.

Cox said he personally has provided financial support to Adler and Alster so they could deploy shelters in Sderot, an oft-targeted Israeli town just a few miles from Gaza City. Eventually, Cox will help facilitate the rollout of dozens more, he said.

Sytner said the shelters will bring peace of mind to Israelis when the risk of an attack is high. "This way families don't have to stay home all day," he said.

Staying at home offers protection against shrapnel but not against a direct hit. The availability of nearby shelters would provide a convenient option, he said.

The challenge for Cox and Sytner is to publicize the initiative, the rabbi said. "People are willing to give but don't know about the opportunities. My vision is to change the landscape of the land of Israel forever."

Shelter and comfort are biblical imperatives, noted Cox, who added that God has told him he should support Operation LifeShield and promote the well-being of Jews in Israel.

"What I do know is that the people of Israel need protection," he said. "I believe there is a biblical prophesy in what we're doing."

Cox said he doesn't like to discuss the scriptural reasons for his support, preferring to emphasize the shared focus, "which is a love for Israel."

That love has prompted Cox to apply himself diligently to his cause. He travels between the U.S. and Israel regularly and runs Front Page Jerusalem Global Radio Network, a Christian broadcast, with partner Ben Kinchlow of "The 700 Club" fame.

Cox said the transportable bomb shelters are the first products he has ever endorsed. Each unit, made of steel-reinforced 21-inch-thick concrete, costs $38,000. (Operation LifeShield also makes a bus shelter for $18,000.)

On a recent trip to Israel, a Qassam rocket was lobbed into his path as he and his colleagues made their way to Sderot. It killed a woman and threw Cox's vehicle across the road, he said.

"These terrorists love death as much as we love life," he said.

So he is determined that Christians and Jews work together to make Israel safe. His commitment runs deep, he said.

"The only way is for us to go and walk hand in hand as partners."

Reach Adam Parker at 937-5902 or aparker@postandcourier.com.