The Playground Protection Project

This summer, the conflict in the Middle East became a popular topic of discussion. Although it occurred in a location that felt very far away for most Exonians, for senior Alex Weitzman and her family, it was a part of everyday life. This summer, after visiting the city in Israel that experienced multiple bombings, Weitzman decided something had to be done to ease the citizens’ tension. For that reason, Weitzman and her sister, Geffen, began the crowd funded "Missile-Safe Playroom for Kids" project in Sderot, Israel to aid children suffering from war trauma.

“Our goal is to turn a bomb shelter in Sderot's community center into a playroom for children, so that the kids have somewhere to release their anxiety while having fun,” Weitzman said. “Every time a rocket siren goes off, everyone has 15 seconds to make it to the bomb shelter before the rocket hits.”Weitzman continued, noting the toll that the bombings have had on the Sderot community. “More than 75% of the children in Sderot exhibit symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” she said.Although she was in Sderot for a couple of weeks, the unabating missile attacks had a profound impact on Weitzman and her family. After the bomb siren began, they would have to sprint out of the house and into the bomb shelters as quickly as possible. “We would hold hands, hearts beating, listening to the booms, and pray to God that no missiles would fall near us,” Weitzman said. “It was truly traumatizing, and left a lasting impact on me and my sister.”After experiencing a small portion of what the people of Sderot had to endure again and again, Weitzman met with Sderot’s city council to discuss how she could help, and soon discovered that there was an unused bomb shelter in the community center of the town. Consequently, their plan to convert the shelter into a children’s playroom took form.“We interviewed people around Sderot, including the head of Sderot's center for mental health,” Weitzman said. “After making a video and publishing the Indiegogo page, we started sharing the project so that more people would learn about it and possibly contribute.”Although the venture has struggled to secure the public eye, the “Missile Safe Playroom” is starting to gain traction here in Exeter.“Something like this draws the community out of the Exeter bubble especially when it is connected so strongly to one of our own classmates,” senior Clara Hobbie said. “Although on the whole, Exeter students are rather globally-aware, I do not think we take action as much as we could. Here is an opportunity to easily help out with a good cause, something tangible.”Their webpage has already secured more than $575 in donations, but with more time and exposure, Weitzman is hoping they will collect enough to transform the shelter and impart meaningful change for the community of Sderot.“This project plays an important role at Exeter because it makes us Exonians appreciate something we have never considered a privilege—and that's our safety,” Weitzman said. “It makes us think outside the Exeter bubble, outside the American bubble.”Although many have taken fierce stances over the Israel/Palestine conflict, Weitzman believes that this enterprise is not political, but rather, a way for Exonians and people all over the world to express their “non-sibi” approach.“This is not about politics, or about supporting sides in the Middle Eastern conflict; this is about helping children who've been deprived of their livelihood,” Weitzman said. “Through this project, in accordance with non sibi, we are offering them some peace of mind—because we know that, together, we can give it to them.”