The beautiful stories about the volunteer initiatives that swept the country continue.
Exciting: Social media asked to complete minyan - thousands showed up | Photo: Tomer Binstock
Riding for the children of the envelope
"We drive from Gedera to Zichron Yaakov to bring bicycles. We have two workshops that completely renew bicycles, at Beit Oved and at Givat Brenner."
The wave of help for the residents of the Gaza envelope includes many exciting initiatives, including the initiative of the "Yes and No" bicycle group from the Guide Dog Center at Beit Oved. The group, which usually goes on bicycle tours with visually impaired people, announced that they would use and repair bicycles that remained unused for children near the Gaza Strip.
The bikes are on their way to renovation,
Yuval Nakel, a resident of Gedera who coordinates the bicycle collection activity for use in his city, explains: "We usually do bicycle trips with visually impaired people, but now we can't do trips, so we decided to embark on a new initiative which is to collect old bicycles and use them for people from the Gaza envelope. We use bicycles for children, teenagers and adults."
As part of the initiative, more than 100 bicycles have been collected to date. The group's volunteers travel all over the country to collect old bicycles for the people in the envelope. "We drive from Gedera to Zichron Yaakov to bring bicycles for the children. We have two workshops that are really renewing bicycles, one workshop is at Beit Oved and another workshop is the biking workshop at Kibbutz Givat Brenner," he says.
Bicycle repair,
The intensive use of the bicycles enabled the members of the cycling group to distribute 50 bicycles, 25 of them in Tiberias and 25 in Shfayim.
"We arrived in Tiberias yesterday, to the people of Or Hanner, who are there. They were very happy. At the same time, 25 couples were transferred to residents of the envelope who found shelter in Shfayim. It is important for me to note that we will go anywhere in the country, both to collect bicycles and to distribute them. If there is someone who wants a bicycle and he is in Eilat - we will reach him. We have a team of drivers who do that," says Nakel.
Using the bicycles costs the group a lot of money, and it appeals to the public for donations. Donations can be made to finance the activities for the "Bicycles for Residents of the Envelope" project through the Israeli Guide Dog Center, Bank Leumi 10, Branch 725, Account 1104215. It should be written that the donation is for a bicycle project for the residents of the envelope.
Food packages and emergency kits for the safe room for Holocaust survivors
Following the war in the south and north, the Foundation for the Welfare of Holocaust Victims is currently distributing 4,000 food packages and 1,000 emergency kits and blankets to Holocaust survivors who cannot leave their homes for security, physical or mental reasons.
The emergency case contains a radio and batteries, a first aid kit and emergency lighting. The food packages, in cooperation with Leket Israel, include basic products that can be kept in safe rooms, allowing survivors to avoid leaving home to obtain food. In addition, some 500 ready-to-heat meals were distributed to survivors who are unable to cook.
Packing boxes for Holocaust survivors,
Through a network of hundreds of volunteers, more than 5,000 phone calls have already been made to Holocaust survivors to clarify their situation and needs and relieve their loneliness during these difficult times, and aid packages have been delivered to their homes. Eti Farhi, Executive Director of the Foundation: "It is our responsibility to ensure the well-being of Holocaust survivors always, and especially in times of war. The assistance we have provided so far is initial assistance, and we will continue to examine needs on the ground and provide a response accordingly."
The Foundation for the Welfare of Holocaust Victims continues to operate today, providing a response to the ongoing needs of Holocaust survivors. By phone: 03-6090866, and on Facebook: The Foundation for the Welfare of Holocaust Victims. The Foundation seeks the assistance of the general public through donations and volunteering. You can sign up to volunteer and donate through the Foundation's website, or through the Paybox app at the non-profit complex.
Shelter Patrol
The pre-military preparatory students joined the "City of Refuge" project, which cleans and uses old shelters in northern Israel. The neglect of shelters in northern Israel is a topic that has been discussed over the years and has been extensively covered. The relative quiet that has prevailed in the north since the Second Lebanon War has caused many shelters in the north to be almost unused in recent years, and as a result, they have accumulated a lot of dirt and unnecessary equipment. At the same time, they were also neglected by the authorities and accumulated various maintenance problems, so that some of them were unfit for stay.
The Machinists clean a shelter,
Due to the escalation in the northern sector and the firing of missiles at the communities, members of the Council of Pre-Military Preparatory Programs, in cooperation with the JNF, JNF UK and the "Making a Neighborhood" association, joined the "City of Refuge" project, which cleans and arranges old shelters in northern and central Israel.
Hundreds of preparatory students pitched in and began arranging and cleaning the shelters. Locked, dirty and inappropriate shelters to which the Machinists were sent underwent renovation, thorough cleaning and painting. Already, after five days of work, the preparatory students are responsible for more than 200 shelters that have been used, and the goal is to reach thousands of shelters in the north.
Mountains of garbage and equipment in shelters. The boys at work, photo: KKL-JNF
According to Itai, a pupil at the Arava preparatory school: "We felt significant. That day, there were sirens all over the north, and people went into the shelters we cleaned for them. It's the least we could give of ourselves during this time. We wish everyone peace, health and security."
The Council of Pre-Military Preparatory Programs, which consists of about 60 preparatory schools, mapped the needs of the home front and mobilized to assist during the fighting.
According to Avishai Berman, Director General of the Council of Pre-Military Preparatory Programs: "We are proud to be partners in the 'City of Refuge' project and to assist in a life-saving mission – cleaning and arranging old and neglected shelters. I am proud of the young men and women who understand that this is the time to get up and do something. Together we will win."
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