The Places Where Israelis Take Shelter, and Their Acronyms

The Iranians’ strategy is clear,” a friend said to me a day or two before the American attack on Fordow. “They plan to deprive us all of sleep until we’re forced to surrender.”

Israelis have indeed been sleep-deprived, many having had to run to shelters once or more every night since Israel launched its air offensive against Iran. The lucky ones had mamadim to run to. The next most fortunate have had mamakim. Others had only mamamim or mamatsim, while those with none of the above had to make do with a merḥav mugan.

Readers of Mosaic may wonder about these terms. Let’s start with merḥav mugan. This means “protected space” in Hebrew and refers to any indoor area, such as a staircase or the lobby of a building, that is far from windows and not directly exposed to shrapnel and shockwaves from explosions. A merḥav mugan will not protect you from a ballistic missile landing on your roof, but it’s better to be in one than just at home or out in the open when missiles are falling.