Ziv Hagbi, left, and Tamir Erez, who live in Sderot, and Ronit Farkash, regional coordinator for JAFI in Sderot and the Gaza perimeter area, told members of Monmouth County’s Jewish community about life in the beleaguered Israeli city.
Photo by Jill Huber
September 23, 2008
Kassam rocket attacks are a part of daily life for Ziv Hagbi, 18, and Tamir Erez, 26, residents of Sderot, the Israeli city bordering on the Gaza Strip.
The violence has left its mark on both young men, who came to Monmouth County on Sept. 15 to discuss life in a city under siege. They were accompanied by Ronit Farkash, a regional and youth enrichment coordinator for the Jewish Agency for Israel in Sderot and the Gaza perimeter area.
The Israelis’ local visit was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County in conjunction with United Jewish Communities and JAFI. Jewish federations in Atlanta, Miami, and Memphis also invited the trio to visit before they return home on Sept. 25.
The hostilities that remain part of their current existence will affect their futures, Hagbi and Erez told NJ Jewish News.
“We are all emotionally scarred,” said Hagbi. You can’t live like this without paying a terrible price. There is violence all around us and it’s touched almost every part of our lives.”
He recently graduated from high school, which he attended while simultaneously participating in the four-year Net@ (pronounced Neta) program. In the JAFI-sponsored project, students from the Sderot area receive technological enrichment and learn English and are sent out to repair computers for area residents.
Net@ recently certified Hagbi as a computer technician and systems administrator. In January, he will begin his Israel Defense Forces service, performing classified work in the IDF’s computer unit.
But Hagbi’s education was often disrupted by violence. Several years ago, he was completing a school exam when a rocket slammed into the building and landed in his classroom.
“We heard a loud crashing noise and the room filled with smoke — there was chaos and panic,” Hagbi said. “Responders from first aid units, the police, and fire companies came immediately. It was a horrible scene, and I’ll never forget it — never.”
‘Complete chaos’
Erez also was a victim of terror. In 2004, he had completed his military service and was working in a supermarket in Sderot to earn money for college. He was in the market’s doorway talking to his brother when a Kassam rocket landed 30 feet away. The brothers were taken to a local hospital, where Erez was diagnosed with temporary hearing loss. Although his hearing returned without any lingering problems, his brother still suffers from inner ear damage.
“My brother, who had just stopped by to visit me at the store, and I were talking and laughing, and then there was a loud boom and the ground shook,” Erez said. “There was so much smoke and I couldn’t find my brother at first, and I also realized that I couldn’t hear. But I saw complete chaos and people crying. I still relive this experience.”
He received a UJC/JAFI scholarship and is studying technological marketing at nearby Sapir College. Erez, who has played soccer since childhood, also coordinates a sports enrichment program implemented by JAFI and Hapoel Keter Tel Aviv soccer team and funded by UJC’s Israel Emergency Campaign which the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County supports. The sports program has worked with more than 1,200 elementary school children in the Sderot region during the past two years, Erez said.
“The program is a way to give kids life and education skills through sports,” he said. “We want to give these children some hope and a little happiness while they live in the middle of this violence.”
Most of the population in the Sderot region suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, said Farkash, adding that a trauma center has opened in the area. Any loud noise, such as the slamming of a door, causes residents to flinch and dive for cover, she said.
“And how could it be any other way?” asked Farkash, who lives in Tkuma, near the Gaza perimeter. “One summer, while 1,500 children were being bused to day camp on opening day, missiles fell four times during their bus rides. Those kids had to get on and off the buses four times and seek shelter. Those children won’t ever forget what happened.”
Erez and Hagbi won’t forget either. In addition to their personal experiences, both have witnessed missile damage to the homes of relatives and friends. The images are permanently seared in their memories, they said.
“But we still have hope,” Hagbi said. “We trust our government to do what’s necessary to achieve peace. And one day, we’ll be able to sleep through the night without the threat of the rockets. Kids will be able to play outside without fear.”
The support the Sderot region has received from UJC and its affiliates has provided some much-needed encouragement, Farkash said.
“This support helps us continue with our life routine,” she said. “That’s what gives us strength and encourages us to give back to our communities. It makes us feel stronger, and we will continue to present a united front.”
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