Since October 7, Brothers in Arms' civilian operations room has been working non-stop to help as much as possible. Thanks to the initiative of Shlomo Egozi, who is active in the organization, an extraordinary connection was created between students from Tel Aviv University and the preserved matzah factory in Sderot, whose purpose is to delight the Jews of Israel and the Diaspora on the eve of Passover. With the beginning of the war, all the cards were shredded and the factory ran into difficulties, especially in the field of production, since many of its workers were unavailable - evacuated from their residences or in the reserves.
Galit Yuval, the organization's representative, told Israel Hayom about the initiative: "Shlomo thought about our connection with the industry in the envelope. As in agriculture, here too there are factories that needed us, and the matzo factory is one of them. Financial aid is nice, but we also have to keep producing."
"I thought I was dreaming"
In fact, the civilian war room collects calls from places in need of assistance, and Tel Aviv University is the "main provider" of volunteers. Two or three times a week, a shuttle leaves the university with about ten volunteers, who help at the production line stations in the factory.
Yair Hadad, the factory owner, shares: "We were supposed to start working after Sukkot, and because of the war, everything was postponed. Getting employees now is almost impossible. I could sit at home, submit the documents and wait for compensation, but I can't afford it. We provide matzah to 27 countries and connect the people of Israel. I decided not to give up. When I got the phone call from Galit, who said, 'I want to help you and bring you volunteers,' I thought I was dreaming," he says excitedly.
"Thanks to the help of these wonderful people, who come with the help of the civilian war room from both the university and pre-military preparatory programs, we will be able to reach 80 percent capacity compared to a normal year. That's thousands of cartons."
Matzah brings hearts together
Before October 7, there was little in common between the factory owner and the organization, but the war brought many hearts closer. "There is a volunteer here who is over 70 years old," Haddad says, "She told me: 'My father used to eat these matzos on the eve of the holiday. I don't keep Shabbat and Kippur, but every Seder night we wait for Matzah Shmura.'
"There is a combination here – right and left, secular and religious. Everyone is for the same cause, and I pray that this unity will continue, because if not, we will all lose. We have no other country, and we have no other people."
One of the volunteers, Eleanor Koenigstein, recently returned from Ukraine, where the situation is also complicated, and was still looking for a way to help. The Matzot factory constituted closure: the unification of the Jews of Israel and the Diaspora – and financial assistance to the home front and the factories of the western Negev.
She shares: "Sitting in the office was the easiest, but I was looking for more than that. I returned to Israel in October, and I felt it was right and moral to give of myself. When I found out about volunteering through the university's website, I saw the envelope factories. In Ukraine, too, I saw how strengthening the economy and maintaining a strong home front contributed to the effort. The ability to help enhances the sense of mission and the sense of connection between Israeli Jews and the world during the war."
Right and left, secular and religious. Volunteers at the factoryPhoto: Liron Moldovan
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