THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

18 Friday, lone 25, 1982

Israeli Community Centers Provide Encouragement for IDF Units

(Continued from Page 1)
Thanks to the painstaking
efforts which had been
taken by Ami Segev, the di-
rector of Beit Edelstein, one

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of the two matnassim
(community centers) in the
town, his devoted staff, city
officials and volunteers,
there had been no casual-
ties, and no mass flight.
Working around the
clock in close cooperation,
the municipality, govern-
ment ministries and the
matnas had divided the city
into five sectors, with the
matnas as the "nerve-
center." They had selected
personnel to be responsible
for each sector, ensured that
the shelters were cleaned
and well stocked, and, most
important, had seen to it
that every resident knew
precisely what was expected
of him in times of emer-
gency.

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We even knew exactly
which bed in which shel-
ter — there were over 400
in the town — was set
aside for which child,"
Ami stated quietly. One
of the town's unsung
heroes was a blind resi-
dent who manned the
volunteer switchboard
during the heaviest of the
shelling, relaying mes-
sages from soldiers at the
front to members of their
families in the shelters.
Aided by a staff of social
workers, psychologists, doc-
tors, youth workers and
others, the matnas or-
ganized courses in first aid,
in programming recreation
within the shelters, and is-
sued a daily bulletin. Ami
proudly showed us a copy of
the matnas newspaper
which had appeared two
months before the shelling
began. A survey indicated
that about 50 percent of the
population would leave if
the town were bombarded.
"It was a race against
time," Ami declared. "We
knew that another attack
was inevitable, and we took
immediate measures. This
time," he said with quiet
satisfaction, "less than
eight percent of the popula-
tion fled."
"We told the performing
artists and volunteers from
other parts of the country
who came to Kiryat Shmona
with the beginning of the
shelling, that we had a
strongly motivated town,
and urged them to go to the
frontier settlements where
their services were needed
more urgently."
As soon as the
Katyusha barrage had
lifted, youngsters hur-
ried to take on their pre-
assigned tasks: relaying
telephoned messages
from the fighters in
Lebanon to the families,
making up gift parcels
for soldiers, supplying a

Picture Yourself or
Your Loved One Living Here

refreshment booth for
soldiers passing through
the town and organizing
activities for very young
children.
"It was their way of ex-
pressing thanks to the Is-
rael Defense Forces for hav-
ing once and for all freed
them from the threat of
sudden, violent attack,"
Ami observed.
Parts of the town were
badly damaged, but this
time the matnas had come
through unscathed. In the
1981 bombardment, a
Katyusha rocked scored a
direct hit on the building,
exploding in an assembly
hall which only a half-hour
earlier had been filled with
soldiers attending a lecture.
* * *
Northward to Metula, at
the very tip of the Galilee
"finger," where we met
Pinhas Koren ("Pini")
whose matnas is located a
mile or so from the "Good
Fence." Pini's matnas is
unique: it is probably the
only community center in
the world where many of the
activities are carried out
underground, in a large
bomb-proof shelter below
the building — and with
good reason, for Metula was
a focal point of terrorist at-
tacks.
Pini was obviously
pleased at the direction the
war was taking in nearby
Lebanon. "For the first time
in years, we can breathe
easily," he said.
Over his desk hung the
red and white flag of free
Lebanon. The children
across the border had
given it to the matnas on
Tu b'Shevat as an ex-
pression of appreciation
for the joint recreational
activities with the chil-
dren of Metula.
Metula had been founded
on June 9, 1897, and Pini
had organized a gala event
on June 9 to mark the
town's 85th birthday.
"On June 9th we had a
different occasion to mark,"
he said soberly. "We buried
one of our boys who had
been killed in Lebanon."
"After this is over," Pini
added, "we're going to have
a real shebang, together
with the kids from Major
Haddad's enclave. They'll
be coming from a liberated
Lebanon!"
Packages from mat-
nassim in all parts of Is-
rael had been flowing to
the Metula matnas where
they were given to the
soldiers fighting a few
' kilometers to the north.
We later saw some of the

A member of the Metula matnas assembles gift
parcels 'to be given to Israeli soldiers.
packages being distrib- the front. The matnas
uted to convoys entering was getting back t‘
"normalcy."
Lebanon at the frontier.
Pini's matnas services a
Pini showed us around.
Handicraft, dance, drama, largely agricultural popula-
indoor sports and other tion, in addition to Metula's
groups were using the large 1,500 people. The matnas
rooms. "Everything that serves an additional 4,500
takes place above_ ground in people in the surrounding
other matnassim," noted kibutzim and moshavim.
Pini, "takes place under- Pini, who was born in
ground here." There were nearby Kfar Giladi where
even two rooms equipped for half-a-century earlier Yosef
emergency operations, Trumpeldor had fallen in
which, Pini noted thank- defense of the settlement,
has a staff of five full-time
fully, had not been used.
Every large shelter in workers and eight part-time
town had been pressed into personnel.
Looking out of his window
service, with the matnas
and the youth division of the which faces Lebanon, Pini
Ministry of Education ar- could not hide a smile of
ranging for appearances of satisfaction at what was
volunteer 'artists. Volun- taking place across the
teers, under the direction of now-peaceful frontier. "For
the matnas, had helped or- the first time," he noted,
"we're now able to make
ganize the civil defense.
The Metula matnas, the plans with certainty."
Military convoys contin-
hub of the community, is
utilized by 60 percent of the ued to roll northward as he
adult population and all of spoke, as if to underline the
the children. During nor- nation's determination that
mal times it is used for lit- this will indeed be so.
eracy classes for adults —
20 adults, mainly new im-
migrants, don't know He-
brew; for regional sports
and recreational activities,
along with the regular
range of center activities.
"Son of C. Trojan"
Outside the buildings, a
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