Rehavia public bomb shelter: Kid-friendly, clean, and inaccessible - review

If you’re 90 seconds away from Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood and a missile alert siren sounds, head for the bomb shelter off of Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel Street.

It’s located in Kuzari Park, just across from the yard of the Rehavia Gymnasium. Just follow the signs on the street (which aren’t in English but should be).

I’d never considered reviewing a bomb shelter before, but since we’ve spent so much of the past year and may spend much of the foreseeable future in them, I thought it made sense. 

Some people have a safe room in their home or apartment, and others have a bomb shelter in their buildings. But for those who don’t have either or those who happen to be out and about when the siren sounds, there are neighborhood shelters. 

I happened to be in Rehavia on October 1 when Iran unleashed the largest ballistic missile attack in history on Israel, so I spent an hour in this one, and it’s highly recommended.

A dance studio by day, it has two large rooms, a bathroom, and a water dispenser with disposable cups. There are mats on the floor in one room, and a great deal of space for children to run around.

There are no children’s books or games there, so parents should bring their own. But otherwise, it was the most kid-friendly shelter I’d ever seen.

It’s comfortable for everyone, with many benches and chairs.

Like the majority of shelters, it has no working Wi-Fi. I hate to sound like the guys from the Home Front Command who appear on television when things get scary, but you should invest in a battery-operated transistor radio. 

The only man who thought to bring a radio during the last Iranian attack was surrounded by news-hungry people, waiting to hear when they could leave. About a year ago, there was a push to sell Wi-Fi routers for bomb shelters, but the Jerusalem Municipality apparently did not invest in them. 

While obviously the walls are thick, I could still hear the booms of the missiles and interceptions, but they weren’t as loud as they were in other shelters I’ve been in.

The one real drawback to this shelter is that it is not wheelchair accessible, as it is down a flight of stairs, which is obviously a major issue for some. 

All in all, in spite of the insufficient accessibility and lack of Wi-Fi, the Rehavia bomb shelter was far more comfortable than any I’ve ever seen. The bathroom earned it a five-star rating right away, and it was clean and comfortable. 

In fact, this bomb shelter was so nice that if you don’t have a shelter in your home, I’d recommend you head to Rehavia the next time the Home Front Command predicts it will be cloudy with a chance of missiles. If it’s a false alarm, you can get a snack at one of the nearby cafés or buy a wig in one of the stores on the street. But if the warning is the real thing, you’ll be in a good place.■

Overall rating 

• Comfort and cleanliness: Five stars
• Accessibility: Inadequate
• Wi-Fi: None