Alongside the biblical significance of return of Jewish people to Israel there is the practical aspect of the actual Aliyah, the challenges it represents for Jewish families that arrive in Israel with nothing more than a small suitcase in which they try to fit their whole life.
It is especially true today when Israel is experiencing a tremendous influx of olim (immigrants) from war-stricken Ukraine. Whole families that flee with practically just the clothes on their backs, arrive in Israel and desperately seek anyone that could help with even the most basic needs.
The daily things we rely on and take for granted as part of our lives, those things aren’t a reality for these families — most of whom consist of a mother and small children, with the father having to stay behind in Ukraine, or larger families of 3 kids whose father was allowed to join them. Things like: bedding, towels, blankets, kettle, and fans — things that are so essential that it wouldn’t cross your mind that some families don’t have any of them when they first arrive in Israel.
Currently, there are over 50 new families arriving in Ashdod every month, and with your generous support, we are helping many of them.
This June we aim at helping 50 families with a special “Starter Kit” containing not only food items, but also care packages containing a variety of home essentials customized for each family’s needs.
For us, it is such an important opportunity to be the hands through which believers from the nations just like you can bless the people of Israel.
These special Starter Kits include a selection of items such as a fan (Israeli summers are known to be unbearably difficult, especially for those living in small apartments), kettle, bedding, pillows, toaster, towels, kitchen utensils, etc.
These kits were well thought out and put together taking into consideration these families’ immediate needs. Things that we have the privilege of owning without even thinking about it, while many families struggle every day even without those simple basic items as they start their new life in a new country.
Consider providing at least one family with a Starter Kit through a gift of $150 or more, so we can reach the goal to supply 50 families this month with important basics they currently go without.
It is the help that comes in a time of need that leaves the deepest and most lasting imprint in one’s heart.
