Red Alert Song

When Hila Hamami-Levy, the Youth Director of Hof Ashkelon, came and spoke to many groups in Phoenix, Tucson, and Seattle in late November and into December, 2008, she talked about the Red Alert song taught younger children when they have to run to protected rooms.

Here is more information on the song.

Children at Jewish schools in the United States sing "David Melech Yisrael," with its corresponding hand movements.
Children in Hof Ashkelon and Sderot sing about rocket alerts.

The song, "Red Color," named for the tzeva adom alerts that let residents know of an incoming Qassam rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, was created to help keep children calm while they seek shelter.

When a "tzeva adom" alarm used to sound, children tended to start crying while they ran to the shelter. So a song was written about two years ago to teach young children how to react in a healthy way, including breathing and stretching exercises.

The project was piloted by Ashalim, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's children's division in Israel, as part of the United Jewish Communities' Israel Emergency Campaign.

"Hurry hurry hurry to a safe place/Hurry hurry hurry because it's dangerous," the children sing as they run to their safe place.

"My heart is beating: boom boom boom," they sing as they cross their arms and pound their chest on each "boom."

The song continues to the end, accompanied by corresponding movements, with,
"We shake our body ‹ shake, shake, shake.
We will blow in deep/We will blow out as far as possible/
We will blow in deep/We can laugh/
It's all gone/And I feel good it's over/
Yessss!" as they raise their hands in triumph.

The children, according to the psychologists, no longer shout and push each other since they focus on the song and its movements. (adapted from a UJC article).