in the north of Israel, children at school in the basement, far from the noise of war

Five kilometers from the border with Lebanon, the Arab Christian town of Jish has adapted the course of school days to the rhythm of the alerts.

In northern Israel, residents have been accustomed for several months to exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese ally, in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A situation all the more tense since the recent Iranian attack on Saturday April 13 and the strong explosions heard in Iran on Friday April 19, not claimed for the moment by Israel.

Precisely five kilometers from the border, Jish, an Arab Christian town, has adapted the course of school days. Classes and most extracurricular activities now take place in a bomb shelter with armored doors. “We have mattresses in the shelter, creative games and we have water, explains Nebal Nejim, the director of the recreational center. When the children are there, they have plenty to do.”

Here children, from the age of 3, repeat the exercises and procedures every morning to learn how to protect themselves in the event of an air attack, “I pretend it’s a game”, explains Samah Hashoul, the nursery nurse in the nursery section. But sometimes, anxiety gets to the little ones. “We help them if they need cuddles after exercises or after real alerts, she adds. We play music to calm them down, Fairouz, do you know? It’s in our culture. Every day is a new challenge”she concludes.

Maintain a routine for children

In Jish, even though there was no official evacuation order, some families left on their own. Ibrahim, father of a 5-year-old boy, understands them. “The situation is stressful and complex. Just this morning, there was an alert. We ran towards the shelter. It’s not simple”, he said. But he refuses to leave, continuing to drop his child off at school brings a little serenity back into their daily lives. “Routine is important especially for children and their psychological balance. But also for parents, because it’s complicated to juggle everything that’s going on.”

Even if he remains living in the north, Ibrahim plans to go see the country with his family, get a little green, for the Passover holidays, the Jewish Passover. The opportunity to make his son forget the noise of rockets and missiles.