A new $3.7 million program to train emergency response teams in community centers in northern Israel had only just started when one of the participating communities — Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights — experienced precisely the type of attack that the initiative was meant to prepare them for.

On July 27, four days after the start of the three-month training program by the Israeli humanitarian relief nonprofit IsraAid and the Israeli Association of Community Centers, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group fired an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket equipped with a 53-kilogram warhead, hitting a soccer field in the town, killing 12 children and injuring scores more.

As Israel prepares for further attacks by Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies, a representative from IsraAid said the need for this kind of community-based emergency preparedness program is even clearer. (In the aftermath of the Majdal Shams attack, IsraAid also dispatched its own emergency response team to the Druze village to assist in the areas of mental health, education and logistics, the organization said.)

“The project was conceived of and planned before — the recent attacks have just exemplified what we were preparing for,” the IsraAid spokesperson told eJewishPhilanthropy on Thursday.

The program, dubbed “Safe Harbor,” will train emergency response teams in 140 communities in northern Israel on both “immediate and long-term response in complex emergency situations, through collaboration and from a shared understanding with the local authorities,” IsraAid said in a statement.

The first phase of Safe Harbor began on July 23 with the start of the training program for 80 of the communities. In addition to Majdal Shams, this included Kiryat Shmona, Haifa, Tamra, Nahariyah, Acre, Shlomi, Kiryat Bialik and Kiryat Motzkin, among others.

“Right now, it’s important to support and strengthen local leaders, who know best what their communities need,” Einav Levy, head of IsraAid’s Israel mission, said in a statement. “Real resilience comes from within the community, and we’re here to offer additional tools and skills that help communities manage whatever comes their way.”

Tal Basechess, the CEO of the Israeli Association of Community Centers, the umbrella organization representing most of the community centers in Israel, said the new program is meant to strengthen communities’ resilience.

“Today, as part of implementing those lessons, we understand the value of a proper transition from routine to emergency,” Basechess said in a statement. “We’ll continue responding to the immediate needs of communities, help rebuild communities, and promote readiness on the home front. We’re committed to community resilience across Israel, and especially the residents of the north and the south.”

The training program is meant to prepare the community response teams for effective and efficient decision-making in emergencies, teach them how to prevent burnout, manage a control room, coordinate volunteers, cooperate with local authorities and other relevant skills, according to IsraAid. During the course, the participants are also meant to develop an actionable community emergency response plan.

IsraAid developed this training program based on its experience working in disaster zones around the world and in Israel over the past 10 months, a spokesperson said.

The initiative is being funded by Jewish Federations of North America and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. In addition to the training, each participating community will receive a budget of NIS 50,000 ($13,200) to be spent on emergency preparedness equipment, such as generators and first aid kits.

“We’re proud to take part in this important project of IsraAid and the IACC that provides a thorough response to the emergency needs of communities,” Rebecca Caspi, director general of JFNA’s Israel office, said.