Sderot

We exist to help the Sderot community heal from what it has already lived through, and overcome whatever it may still have to face.

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A Story of Resilience

A former development town in the western Negev, this southern Israeli community has welcomed immigrants from North Africa, the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Sadly, it is currently most notable for being the target of an endless barrage of Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip. And yet, despite being under fire for almost two decades, Sderot continues to grow and find of-the-moment solutions that allow it to thrive under fire.

Where exactly is Sderot?

The Beginning

Founded in 1951 as a transit camp for 80 families newly arrived from Kurdistan and Iran, Sderot (Hebrew for boulevards) was named by David Ben Gurion for the Eucalyptus trees that lined its main avenue, and has since symbolized the Negev vision of making the desert bloom. In that first decade, it also welcomed immigrant families from Romania and North Africa, followed in the 1990s by recent arrivals from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia who together doubled the population almost overnight. In 1996 it was officially declared a city.
Under Fire

With its proximity to Gaza, Sderot has taken every measure to protect its residents with reinforced buildings, safe rooms, and fortified bus stops. Also, it provides any child, adolescent or adult whose trauma from the ongoing state of emergency has developed into dysfunction, with a readily available emotional response. And despite the ongoing danger and distress, Sderot is a city with industries and commercial centers, with parks, playgrounds and bicycle routes, with a cinematheque and an annual film festival, and with additional neighborhoods being planned and built.
Looking Ahead

A resilient community is measured not only by the willingness and efforts of individual members to help one another survive and overcome hardship but also by its determination to come back as strong as before. Looking ahead to and planning for better times, Sderot municipality has inaugurated 15 factories, and dedicated 25 new playgrounds in the past few years, as well as building 3,500 additional housing units. By the end of the decade, the city is expected to double its population.