✡️ SAFETY BRIEF for the Shabbat Observant
Chief Rabbinute instructions with Risk Adjustments and sensible advise
✡️ Note Israel Realtime DOES NOT POST news on Shabbat or Holy-days (Israel time) UNLESS there is an emergency and sharing information can be life or limb saving. This situation may have events that fit that.
⚠️ AREA: the WHOLE COUNTRY - high risk of missile or suicide drone attacks, you must have emergency channels on and protected spaces available.
YOU MUST, due to risk of life, prepare a shelter and know how / where to shelter at synagogue, AND HAVE WAYS TO GET THE WARNINGS on Shabbat. It can be done without violating Shabbat, see below.
➡️ PREPARE YOUR SAFE SPACE before Shabbat: unlocked, lights on, A/C on, phone in there (plugged in or on a power bank), water, metal window locked in place. Children? Snacks, mattresses, toys.
➡️ SYNAGOGUE SAFE SPACE, AND ARMED MEMBERS: Armed members a very good idea everywhere. Pray at a synagogue with a protected space or one very close by.
➡️ SAFE TO GO TO SYNAGOGUE? Prepare in case there are sirens on the way - know the nearest protected space on the way and what to do if you can’t reach one. IF HOME FRONT COMMAND SAYS STAY HOME, then stay home!
➡️ CHILDREN, ELDERLY, DISABLED? If you can’t move quickly to a protected space or have multiple young children - not safe to go. Do the children know what to do if a siren happens? Practice it!
➡️ CARRY YOUR WEAPON, even without an eruv. Pepper spray, legal-size knife, legal gun. We are at war, people are trying to hurt us.
➡️ CALL POLICE, DO NOT HESITATE !! - If anything suspicious, or a rocket fall in the area - CALL POLICE immediately! Dial 100, you may save lives.
➡️ IF SIRENS, SHELTER EVEN IF IN AMIDAH OR TORAH READING
— If sirens are heard in the middle of Amidah or Torah, one must go to the shelter. After, restart - others rule to start from where you stopped.
— Can’t get to shelter, LAY DOWN, all the way, hands on head (reduces risk by 80%).
— As per Home Front Command, wait at least 10 minutes before exiting shelter or getting up for a regular alert - for a national missile emergency, STAY UNTIL INSTRUCTIONS TO LEAVE.
➡️ MONITOR FOR ALERTS via Silent (Shabbat) Channels..
.. SILENT TV - Channel 14 - stream https://www.now14.co.il/live/ (doesn’t work with adblocker - turn off adblocker for their site)
.. SILENT RADIO -
• Kol Chai radio - on radio 92.8, 93 and 102.5. - stream https://www.93fm.co.il/radio/players/%d7%a9%d7%99%d7%93%d7%95%d7%a8-%d7%97%d7%99/
• Kol BaRama Radio - on radio 92.1, 104.3, 105.7 and 107.6. - stream https://kol-barama.co.il/live/
• Galei Israel - on radio 89.3, 94 and 106.5. - https://www.rlive.co.il/station/galey-israel
.. ON COMPUTER - leave a computer open to https://www.oref.org.il/en (only in Israel) - alerts will display. Click next to alerts the Speaker button to turn on sound for alerts. Turn OFF screen saver, off sleep and off hibernate.
.. VIA APP - leave on phone with red alert app. Set app to YOUR area so it only alerts for your area. Set for FLASH (early) alerts, to get the 4 minute extra warning for missiles. We recommend Tzofar for Shabbat, as you can set a unique Flash alert sound and Alert sound for your area (see settings, top right) so you don’t need to open the phone on Shabbat, just listen.
BRING THE PHONE, with alert App, WITH YOU TO SYNAGOGUE. A group needs the Flash alert extra time to move to shelter.
✡️ It is a mitzvah to take actions to protect and save and preserve life on Shabbat, not a violation. But ONLY actions which do so.
