The roof of Chabad Ashkelon’s boys school is made of tin. The Home Front Command declared that there is no safe place in the building during rocket attacks – however the municipality does nothing. Within two minutes’ walking distance there is the former Ashkelon college campus which can hold over 400 students, but is currently being used by 50 students from Gush Katif.
Yesterday (Monday) the boys of Ohr Menachem and their parents staged a protest, marching from their unprotected school to the college campus, demanding a safe haven in these perilous times.
Despite repeated requests to the Ashkelon municipality, the Chabad Ashkelon boys’ school, with 290 students, has no reinforced area to protect the boys from rocket attacks. The pictures of the roof, as were published on COLlive, show that it is made of tin, which if hit by a rocket, G-d forbid, is useless to prevent a tragedy.
This week, with more rocket fire aimed towards Ashkelon, the PTA of the school decided that they had had enough. “During the rocket alert siren the boys simply sit in the classroom and wait…..the pupils and staff are in a state of shock and constant stress from their helpless situation,” the PTA wrote to the municipality of Ashkelon.
The PTA complained that a mere two minute walk from Ohr Menachem stands a building owned by the Ministry of Education. The former college campus has 25 classrooms, enough for over 400 pupils. “For years the campus has stood empty and for the past three years has only been used by 50 pupils from Gush Katif” their letter continues.
Yesterday (Monday) the boys and their families demonstrated against this injustice by marching from Ohr Menachem to the nearly abandoned college campus. “Ashkelon ‘Refugees’ Seek Shelter Amongst Gush Katif Refugees” was the ironic statement written on posters carried by some of the boys.
