Sderot kindergarten hit by rocket invites US VP to light Hanukka candles
“There is now a gaping hole in the middle of the playground,” the children wrote. “We thank God that no one was injured and that all our toys remained intact.”
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIWindow of kindergarten in Sderot damaged by rocket fire from Gaza and letter from the children of the kindergarten to US VP Mike Pence(photo credit: Courtesy)
Less than a week after a rocket exploded in their playground, children from the Rimon Kindergarten in the southern town of Sderot penned a letter inviting US Vice President Mike Pence to visit during his upcoming trip to Israel.In the letter, signed by the children and their kindergarten teachers, they wrote, “It was very hard to wake up in the morning and find out that our kindergarten was struck by the rocket, but our parents and teachers, Sima, Tali and Nili, kept us calm and promised that everything is going to be alright.”The rocket hit the kindergarten when it was closed last Saturday evening. However, windows were shattered, with a large hole in the glass, and shrapnel hit the side of the classroom.“There is now a gaping hole in the middle of the playground,” the children wrote. “We thank God that no one was injured and that all our toys remained intact.”They added: “The people of Sderot are good-hearted and our parents work hard to protect us from in the constant threat of attacks. Even though the situation here is frightening, our teachers and parents have always taught us to remain hopeful and pray that one day we will have peace with our neighbors in Gaza.”At the bottom of the letter, the children added a drawing and invited Pence to join them in lighting Hanukka candles and eat sufganiyot, traditional Hanukka donuts.On Thursday, it was announced that the vice president is delaying his visit to Israel by a number of days to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday – still in time to light the last candles of Hanukka.At the moment, Pence is expected to hold several meetings in Jerusalem and is not expected to visit the Gaza border, yet the kindergarten children said they remained hopeful he would accept their invitation.Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi also extended the offer to Pence to visit the children and tour the city.“The kindergarten children are our heroes who deal on a daily basis with threats from Gaza,” he said. “It was a miracle that the rocket exploded in the kindergarten on Saturday night when the school was closed and the children were protected in their homes.”
