In advertisements for housing, at work, and in the news, shelters are called by different words. The difference is important: it determines where to go and what to expect from the apartment.

Mamad (ממ"ד)

Secured room inside the apartment: reinforced concrete walls, steel door, window with steel shutter. Mandatory in all houses built after 1992. This is the best shelter: you don’t leave the apartment, the door closes in seconds. In advertisements for rentals they write “ממ"ד” or “mamad”; We have such apartments marked as housing with mamad.

Mamak (ממ"ק)

A protected space on a floor, common to several apartments. It happens in houses where mamads were not made in every apartment. When the siren sounds, go out to the site and go there; the door is usually open or not locked.

Miklat (מקלט)

Shelter: the basement of a house or a separate building. The house miclat is common to residents and is often used as a storage room, so it is worth checking in advance whether it is open and not cluttered. Public miklat - urban, with a number on the wall; The mayor's office has a list of addresses, and the map is at miklat.co.il. You can count on a public miclat only if it is within your time before shelter.

Migunit (מיגונית)

A small concrete shelter on the street, at a bus stop or site, for several people. Protects against splinters, not direct hits. They place them where it is far from normal shelter: there are a lot of them in the south.

Staircase and interior room

Not a shelter, but a backup option if none of the above is available: away from windows, not on the top floor. Better than nothing, worse than everything else.

Parks and stations

In large cities, the Home Front Command has approved the lower levels of some underground parking lots and underground tram stations as shelters for thousands of people. Important: Only specific levels are approved, usually −3 and below. List by city with sources - here.

What to ask your employer and apartment owner

  • “Where is the shelter and how long does it take to get to it?” - you must show it at work.
  • “Is there a mamad or a mamak on the floor in the apartment?” - if not, find out where the nearest miclat is and whether it is open.
  • “Who is responsible for the key to the house miklat?” - in old houses this is a common problem.

Reminder in case of a siren - here.