The northern Israel community of Safed has become a city of refuge of late for some 50 residents of missile-weary Sderot, the Negev Desert town that has been victim of frequent Kassam rocket fire.

Hardly strangers to living under the threat of bombs falling from across the border – Safed was almost cleared out last summer by Katyusha rockets fired from Hizbullah positions in southern Lebanon – Chabad-Lubavitch in Safed dedicated an entire floor of the city's Colel Chabad campus to house the Sderot refugees.

Volunteers provided the Sderot residents with towels, linens and cosmetics, as well as three hot meals a day. People donated cribs and toys for the children, many of whom were scarred by the Palestinian terrorism emanating in the Gaza Strip. Officials also arranged classes and outings to provide a temporary distraction from the security situation.