the destroyed house
the destroyed houseRoi Hadi

Shalom David, Hodaya and their four children lost their home in an instant. The fire which consumed their house was a result of the community of Havat Gilad not being connected to the Israell Electric Company grid despite repeated promises on the matter.

"Yesterday," Shalom David explained, "I was bathing my youngest son. Suddenly I heard my wife shouting from the living room. I ran outside and saw the electrical cabinet on fire."

"I immediately took the children out of the house, I ran to turn off the electricity from outside and keep the gas cylinders away. When I turned around to try to put out the fire, there was nothing left to save. The house burned down completely.

Two of the couple's children were home when the fire broke out, seven-year-old Shaked and one-year-old Afik. Their two oldest children were not at home at the time.

Shalom David told about the children's reaction to the incident. "The children who were in the house are still stunned. Seven-year-old Shaked keeps saying, 'But how can I sleep without my doll, without my pillow, I will not be able to fall asleep.'"

The fire occurred due to a short in the local electrical system, which is not yet connected to the national grid despite promises made by the prime minister two years ago.

Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan came to the family home and said, "This is a shocking event. We were as close as a hair's breadth to a major disaster. Were it not for the resourcefulness of David and Hodaya they could have paid for this with their lives. This state f affairs cannot continue. I call on the government to immediately connect Havat Gilad to the electrical grid as promised. This is also a humanitarian concern so as to prevent any more serious cases like this. Any delay is both unnecessary and dangerous."

"There was a miracle this time. We will not wait for the next miracle," he said.

Shalom David Mann was until two and a half years ago chairman of Havat Gilad. Today he is a winemaker at the Havat Gilad Winery. His wife Hodaya went bankrupt recently after her business failed due to the coronavirus crisis.