In an emergency, the source is the Home Front Command. Not this page and not any saved map. The Home Front Command app shows the time to reach a protected space for your location, and oref.org.il has the current instructions. The information line is 104.
Three kinds of protection, and not the same thing
Safe room (Mamad) — a protected room in the apartment
A protected room inside the apartment itself. It is the best protection, because there is nowhere you need to get to in time. A safe room has been required in new construction since the early 1990s, so it is a fairly reliable sign of a building’s age: a home in Herzliya with a safe room is almost always in a relatively new building or one that has been through urban renewal.
Mamak (floor shelter) and shared shelter
A protected space on the floor serves that floor, and a shared shelter — usually in the basement — serves the whole building. Both work only if you can get into them: a shared shelter that has become the residents’ storeroom is a common fault, and it is the building committee’s responsibility to fix.
Public shelter
The municipality’s responsibility, intended for those with no protection in their building. It is the relevant solution for a good share of Herzliya’s older buildings — so if the home you are considering has no safe room and no working shelter in the building, the distance to the nearest public shelter is a figure to check before signing, not after.
Where to check in Herzliya
- The Home Front Command app — the protected space and time to reach it for your location. This is the operational source, and it is kept up to date.
- oref.org.il — the current protection instructions and information on protected spaces.
- Herzliya Municipality — the city’s public shelters are its responsibility, and it is the body that publishes their locations and condition. On the municipality’s site, search for “shelters” or “protection” under security and emergencies.
What to check before signing
- Is there a safe room? And if so — is it a usable room or one that has become a storeroom. A safe room full of boxes is a safe room that takes three minutes to clear.
- If not — where is the building’s shelter, and what state is it really in. Ask to see it on the visit, not in photos. A blast door that does not close is a defect discovered too late.
- How long it takes to get there. The warning time the Home Front Command sets for the area appears in the app, and it is measured in seconds. Walk the route from the apartment door to the protected space, with a watch, before you buy.
- What is planned for the building. An older building in a TAMA 38 or evacuate-and-rebuild (pinui-binui) process will get safe rooms as part of the project. That changes both the protection and the value — you can see what is planned in Herzliya on the urban renewal page.
This is one check among several worth making before buying. The rest are in the buyer’s guide.
