Years of dedicated efforts by the Israeli government and organizations like Jewish National Fund-USA to encourage population growth in Israel’s beautiful northern region were hindered by Hezbollah’s attacks that began on October 8 last year. For the first time in Israel’s history, entire towns and cities have been evacuated for months due to ongoing incidents. Over 100,000 Israelis are now living in temporary shelters, uncertain when—or if—they can safely return home.
One major obstacle to returning is the severe lack of bomb shelters in the north. Military experts estimate Hezbollah possesses up to 200,000 missiles, including short-range guided missiles that have terrorized northern communities for years.
The threat is so pervasive that even areas not officially evacuated, like Nahariya, Safed, and the Golan Heights, remain under constant attack, giving residents only 15-30 seconds to reach safety. Tragically, even those precious seconds weren’t enough to save 12 Druze children when a missile struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams in late July.
“The region needs 3,000 new shelters,” says Telem Chorin, director of resources development for the Upper Galilee Regional Council. “We only have 300—that’s barely 10% of what’s critically needed to save lives.”
Recognizing the urgency, Jewish National Fund-USA was among the first to act, providing the regional council with a special grant to start planning and approval processes for new shelters. The organization also invested in vital equipment for first responders and civil defense through its Israel Resilience Campaign.
Leveraging decades of philanthropic support for the north and following months of close consultations with local leaders in Israel’s north, Jewish National Fund—USA launched its “Reimagine” plan for the region, which enhances its pre-war Go North strategy aimed at reversing population decline through support for employment, civil defense, medical services, housing, and more.
Thanks to the generosity of Jewish National Fund-USA partners (donors), around 150 shelters ranging from mobile safe rooms (migunit) to secure spaces (mamad), have been either renovated or newly installed in high-traffic areas. The organization plans to install up to 40 more shelters.
Chorin underscores the challenges: “There’s no central body overseeing protection, and we need more support from the government. Since the war began, they haven’t installed a single new shelter in our region.”
In fact, a few weeks after October 7, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman toured northern border communities and found serious deficiencies in war preparations, including a lack of adequate bomb shelters and poor maintenance of existing ones. Yet, despite these findings, the government has taken no action. “I don’t know where we’d be without Jewish National Fund-USA,” Chorin adds.
With the new school year set to begin on September 1, many schools in the Upper Galilee Regional Council are preparing to reopen. As CEO of the Clore Center for the Performing Arts, Chorin knows how crucial it is that educational and cultural institutions provide fortified safe spaces for children and staff. “Parents need to trust that their children will be protected at school and during after-school activities,” Chorin says. “If they don’t feel safe, they can’t work, and the economy—and the nation—suffers.”
Estimates suggest that 20-30% of the evacuated residents may never return to their original homes. “We must do everything we can to bring people back to their communities,” Chorin insists. “But it won’t happen if they feel vulnerable and unprotected from rocket attacks. We need to give them that sense of safety. Simply put, we need to build more shelters.”