Building Regional Resilience in Muslim Minority Community in Southern Israel

Ethnic minority status has been found to be a major risk factor that can explain the variable responses to trauma within many of the world’s sub-populations. In Southern Israel, missile attacks, sirens warning of imminent attack and the threat of attack are all part of the landscape. The feeling of insecurity is even more acute for the Bedouin community due to a lack of bomb shelters. In some of their communities, there is also a dangerous tendency not to adhere to instructions of the Home Front Command in times of emergency. The Bedouin communities also experience exaggerated levels of trauma in their everyday lives. Sources of such trauma includes high poverty, food insecurity, as well as intra-community violence.

As a direct result of Israel Trauma Coalition's ongoing perception of partnership with regional leadership, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the ITC recently established a Regional Resilience Center for the Bedouin population. The Center not only serves the local population, it is serviced by the local population, staffed by local service providers and ultimately establishing a system in which the Bedouin community becomes self-reliant.

Over the past two years the ITC has successfully developed and implemented this model for regional training disaster preparedness. The advantage of such centers is the ability to enhance emergency preparedness and at the same time to create a strong regional professional preparedness network.

The center's model works on four levels:Local Municipality Emergency Protocol Development, Educational System Preparedness Training, Trauma Response and Treatment Training for Professionals and Community Resilience Workshops and Training in the community. The model allows for the accommodation of specific needs whilst concentrating resources to provide regional training for both Jewish and Arab professionals. By coming together, a regional vision can be formed and implemented alongside individual council needs for disaster preparedness.