Two teen sisters from Marin have started an online campaign to turn a bomb shelter in Sderot, Israel, into a protected playroom for young children.
Alex Weitzman, 17, and Geffen Weitzman, 16, both of Kentfield, were prompted to start the campaign after a recent visit to their native Israel, where they lived until 2007.
Alex said her family hid out in bomb shelters “more than a dozen times” during rocket attacks from Gaza. Some of the shelters were in the often-targeted town of Sderot, where the girls’ father grew up; they have named their fundraising project the Yehuda Hadar Foundation in honor of their grandfather, Yehuda Hadar, who “dedicated so much of his life to Sderot.”
The girls’ campaign aims to raise $10,000 for playroom equipment, maintenance and costs to convert the shelter into a playroom for children up to 6 years old. They are working in conjunction with Sderot city officials.
Alex is a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., and Geffen is a junior at Redwood High School in Larkspur.
The campaign is scheduled to close Oct. 22. For information or to contribute, visit www.igg.me/at/protectedplayroom. The Indiegogo page includes a video produced by the sisters.