The Sheinkin test

Amir Mizroch of The Jerusalem Post writes that Tuesday’s war preparedness drill in Israel failed the Sheinkin St. test:

Almost nobody on Rehov Sheinkin paid any attention to Tuesday’s siren marking the highlight of Operation Turning Point 3. Eleven o’clock came, and then it went. The siren wailed – audible faintly over the sounds of Pink Floyd in one café, and loud, hard techno in the adjacent clothing store. For the duration of the siren, café customers continued sipping cappuccinos, and window-shoppers continued staring at windows while inside, others were trying on new shirts…

Why is the Rehov Sheinkin test important?

It’s important because people in the North and people in the South know very well that the threat is real; it’s the people in the Center of the country who need to be reminded. Seeing as the stated purpose of Tuesday’s nationwide drill was to get the entire populace to practice taking cover in shelters when the siren went off – or, at the least, to identify where the shelters were – the Home Front Command failed miserably…

To be fair to the army and the Defense Ministry, this neighborhood is probably the hardest nut to crack in terms of preparing residents for war. The story of the menacing Middle East simply doesn’t sell well here. Drawing attention to bad news of looming war has little or no chance of a captive audience on a street packed tight with designer clothing outlets, accessory stores, book stores, electronics stores, music stores, tattoo parlors, organic supermarkets, chic restaurants, food stands, fruit shake stands and trendy cafés. Who’s got time to look for a bomb shelter when Camper’s is having a sale?

Full story here.