The city of Jerusalem has announced a hospitality project for the people of the south, slashing prices at hotels and cultural institutions, and acting as matchmaker between local residents and those who flee their rocket-battered homes. The project is being coordinated with the Community Centers Corporation, cultural and tourist institutions, Jerusalem hotels and hundreds of volunteers.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat ordered city department heads to prepare discount/benefit packages for visitors from the confrontation areas that will include free entrance to various sites, cultural institutions and tours. The city’s Social Activities Department is also planning a “day of fun and activity in the city” for organized groups from the south that come to visit Jerusalem.
For details regarding the hospitality program in Jerusalem, and the various benefits and activities in Jerusalem for the visitors from the Gaza confrontation zone, please contact the Municipality Service Center by dialing 106 (from inside Jerusalem) or 02-531-4600 (from outside Jerusalem) or through the municipality web site at: www.jerusalem.muni.il. Jerusalem families can also register for hosting families through the municipality web site.
Volunteers Helping in Southern Region
Volunteers from the National Citizens’ Service are working in the western Negev and in communities bordering Gaza in an emergency project to assist the rocket-afflicted residents. The volunteers are assigned to carry out various tasks such as keeping children occupied, preparing bomb shelters, and assisting citizens with special needs.
The activities are being performed under the direction of the local government authorities and coordinated with the Home Front Command.
Tel Aviv, Haifa Offer to Help
The cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa have also offered to help residents of cities under attack. Tel Aviv has established a hotline (03-523-8888) for families interested in hosting families from the south. The city plans to match families in the south seeking a temporary respite from rocket attacks to families in central Israel willing to host them.
Haifa is also connecting residents of the south to host families. In addition, the city has offered to open subterranean activity centers for children in the south. Similar centers operated in Haifa and other northern cities during the Second Lebanon War. City officials said they already had the equipment and knowledgeable staff needed to open the centers.