It was a spectacle that will go down in the annals of Jewish London. Hundreds of Jews, from dozens of synagogues throughout the city, are collecting and arranging warm winter clothes, in preparation for a huge shipment for the Jews of Ukraine, who are facing a brutal and unrelenting war, against the backdrop of a particularly harsh winter that is expected this season.
For two weeks, the Jews of London collected, using large boxes, various winter clothes: coats, hats, blankets, warm sweaters and other winter equipment.
The big operation in London was launched following an alarming and painful survey conducted recently among six hundred Ukrainian Jews. According to the survey, three out of four Jews estimate that they will have to choose between heating and food – and this against the background of a lack of electricity on the one hand and the cost of living on the other. The survey also revealed that 68% think they will not be able to afford the costs of heating their home. In addition, about half of the respondents said that they did not have enough warm clothes to get through the winter season safely and safely.
“The overwhelming response of the Jews of London was simply amazing and heartwarming,” said Rabbi Sandor Millon, from the English-Jewish charity GIFT, which initiated the operation, joining forces with Chabad representatives in England, the OU and JRNU team of Chabad in Ukraine. The cooperation of all the Jewish and ultra-Orthodox organizations in England for the Jews of Ukraine caused a great sanctification of Hashem in the local press.
In preparation for the big operation, boxes of donations were placed in Chabad homes throughout England, synagogues, Jewish schools scattered throughout the country and other Jewish centers.
As mentioned, the huge shipment will be distributed in Ukraine by Chabad emissaries, who since the beginning of the war have managed a system of distributing food and medicine to all the Jews of the country. Recently, Chabad emissaries in Ukraine focused a supreme effort to obtain electric generators, heating products as well as a system to repair broken windows in the homes of the community’s Jews , for the winter storms. Chabad’s JRNU staff in Ukraine work around the clock to respond to every request of the Jewish community.
From the information received from Ukraine, it appears that entire Jewish communities live in the dark for many hours during the day, without heating and without electricity. “We’re really trying to prevent people from freezing to death,” says Rabbi Zavi Wellman of OU. “There are many Jews who are in their homes in the dark, in the cold, without water in the taps. This is a critical situation.”
The Jews of London, together with Chabad and the OU, also focused their efforts on helping the Jews of Ukraine in the purchase of generators, flashlights and batteries. “The need for these items is critical, because of the attacks on the electricity networks and infrastructure of Ukraine,” explained Rabbi Shlomo Peles, who heads the rescue organization of Chabad Ukraine.
Wellman pointed out that the operation was inspired by Knesset member and Prisoner of Zion Natan Sharansky who said at the beginning of the war that “as a child in Ukraine, when the word ‘Jew’ was on your passport, it was a sign that you were not equal to others. But in this war, the sign ‘Jew’ is a sign that there are people Outside the country they care about you and want to help you.”
