No good deed.

This report from Ynet News reminds me of a saying my grandfather use to say when one would do a good deal and then be berated over – ‘no good deed goes unpunished.”

Business mogul Arcadi Gaydamak on Thursday accepted an appeal made by Sderot residents and will help in evacuating children and youth from the rocket-battered southern town. The evacuation of babies and children to five hotels in Eilat is expected to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, and youths will be evacuated on Friday for several days.

Gaydamak came to the rescue following an appeal made by Batia Katar, head of the local parent committee. Katar turned to businesspeople, including Arcadi Gaydamak and Nochi Dankner, and asked them to help send the Sderot children on vacation instead of sending them to the unfortified schools. "The security tension is very high and this is affecting the children in the city. Therefore, we asked to take the children out now for a break from studies, for a holiday, and so on and I hope they will take the initiative," Katar told Ynet on Wednesday.

It may not be a permanent solution to the Kassam rocket attacks but it’s a reprieve for the youngest and most vulnerable segment of Sderot residents. And Gaydamak’s stepping up to the plate to help is truly commendable. If only the Israeli government could be encouraged to make similar kinds of decisive decisions to alleviate the suffering rather than criticizing the generosity of others.

Kadima MK in action:

But even now there are those who oppose Gaydamak’s aid. MK Shlomo Breznitz (Kadima) said Thursday that it would be a mistake to evacuate the children of Sderot for only a few days. Breznitz, claimed that a temporary evacuation would only strengthen the fear felt amongst the children of Sderot. Breznitz explained, “They should only be evacuated if the problem will be solved when they return. Since there isn’t an absolute solution for the Qassam firings at the moment, the children musn’t be evacuated for a short time.”

Maybe it’s because I am a parent, but I find Breznitz’s attitude and his party’s inaction in the face of Kassam fire incomprehensible. It’s almost as if he wants to deliver the children of Sderot to the sacrificial altar to be slaughtered. If Breznitz and Kadima really represented the best interested of the children of Sderot all the schools would have had fortified rooms by now. It’s really just that simple.