Today, the Center for Jewish Impact in partnership with SASA Setton, Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club and EL AL worked together to produce hundreds of boxes of vital goods, consumer products and basketballs. These will be provided to mothers and their children who are based across the refugees' centers, that have fled their home country of Ukraine as it has become engulfed in conflict, fleeing with frighteningly little to Bucharest and other cities throughout Romania.
The aid will be transported in the coming week via three El Al flights, with a total of over 2.1 tons of basic consumer goods. The unique operation will be conducted in cooperation with EL AL passengers who will become aid ambassadors. At the boarding gate, passengers will be offered to take a part in the assistance and to deliver the packages when landing in Romania to a representative of SASA Setton and the Jewish community that will wait for them at the airport.
The Shipments will include: medicine baskets, baby and children foods and essential hygiene products. The medicine basket was assembled with the recommendations of Prof. Matti Berkovich, a pediatrician at Shamir Hospital, and a Board member of SASA Setton. All the goods were donated by Hilda Setton, founder of "SASA Setton", and were shipped by regular airline flights.
Sonia Gomes de Mesquita, the Donor Family’s Representative of SASA Setton and Executive Director of the Center for Jewish Impact: SASA Setton works throughout the year to brighten the faces of thousands of children hospitalized in the hospitals and improve their medical condition. It is not inconceivable that this activity will cross borders and help the thousands of Ukrainian children who have been suddenly displaced from their homes. We will do our best to help those children who need us the most. We would like to thank "El Al" Airlines for its cooperation and rapid mobilization to provide assistance to children. I'm sending our prayers and thoughts to all of the people of Ukraine and hope for their well-being. "
Robert Singer, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact: “Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Center For Jewish Impact has been following all that is happening in the country and is working in humanitarian ways to help the innocent citizens who have been forced into this complex and challenging reality. In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to assist the thousands of refugees in every possible way, all in order to ensure their safety. "
Shlomi Ham Shalom, Vice-President of El Al, stated: "When the tension has begun in Ukraine, "El Al" has donated dozens of rescue flights to bring passengers back to Israel. In recent weeks we have assisted in issuing an air train of humanitarian equipment and assistance to refugees and almost every day a flight departs to bring refugees or immigrants from Ukraine in cooperation with various organizations. El Al will do everything in its power to assist the victims of the war. We thank the loyal EL AL customers who also agreed to help deliver the packages."