Kindergarten students in the Gezer Region in Israel can now safely go to school because of a newly-constructed bomb shelter funded by the Leawood, Kansas, City Council.
Last November, the Leawood City Council donated $25,000 to its sister city, the Gezer Region in Israel. The donation was facilitated through the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and proposed by Andrew Osman, a member of both the Leawood City Council and Jewish community.
Leaders in the Gezer Region specifically requested that the funds go towards building a kindergarten bomb shelter. The shelter allows kindergarten students in the area to safely learn while having the ability to shelter in case of attack. A plaque outside of the shelter reads, “This protected space was built in cooperation with our twin city of Leawood, Kansas, and the Jewish Federation of Kansas City, USA.”
Hannah Soltz, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s Israel representative, attended the opening, as did the Gezer Region Mayor Rotem Yadlin.
