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Friday, August 04, 2006

An open letter from a civillian at the front line

I was e-mailed this letter and asked to please post it on this site.

After reviewing the pictures from the front lines that I had posted in the last couple of days and seeing what is going on, I think this letter could not have expressed the situation any better.


Tisha B'av night / August 2, 2006
Kiryat Shemona, Israel

Dear friend,


My name is Yoel. I live in Brooklyn, New York but I now have the privilege of corresponding with you from Beis Chabad / Chabad house at Chabad of Kiryat Shemona on the Israeli/Lebanese border.

For three weeks already Northern Israel has been, and continues to be, bombarded by hundreds of rockets a day and as of today more rockets have fallen on the region than during any other day in this conflict. And while the entire area has been affected no city has been at the receiving end of more rockets than Kiryat Shemona.

Tonight was the first time in the fourteen year history of Chabad of Kiryat Shemonah that there was no minyan for the reading of Eichah. In fact there were only five of us. It is simply too dangerous to venture out of the bomb shelters. As I write to you now the air raid siren has been sounding on and off for hours now and I can hear the deafening explosions of Katyusha rockets landing around us and the return fire of Israeli artillery. It is non-stop, at least one every ten seconds. So far during this conflict Kiryat Shemona was hit by over 400 rockets.

In the past hour two Katyusha rockets have landed within a mile of here.

This place is a war zone. It is not by the front lines, it is the front lines.

Over half of Kiryat Shemona's residents have fled for safer parts of the country. Those that haven't fled have been holed up in bomb shelters day in day out 24 hours a day for three weeks now. Only one store is open and only for two hours a day. The economy here has not slowed down. It has disintegrated. All other stores are closed. All banks are closed. All factories are closed. And all the people are out of work.

People have neither the money for food nor the wherewithal or capability to procure it. You can only imagine that if they’re not willing to leave the shelters to hear Eichah on Tisha B'av night then surely they won't leave to purchase food and supplies at the only store that is – barely – open.

Enter the heroes of Chabad of Kiryat Shemona. Rabbi Yigal Tzipori and two brave students from Kfar Chabad daily put their lives in danger so that others may eat. Over 4,800 sandwiches and meals are prepared by their soup kitchen daily.

In addition Chabad distributes crates of diapers and basic necessities to those in need and provides toys and games for the thousands of children still stuck in shelters. These supplies are very much in demand and are very costly.

Last but not least Chabad daily treks out to the IDF artillery units that ring this city and provide them with sandwiches, tehilims, and lay tefilin to those who desire. Words cannot describe how much the soldiers appreciate the caring and love shown to them by these brave people of Chabad who come to visit them on the front lines.

Friends, Chabad cannot continue their heroic work without your support. They are in dire need of donations. Their daily budget is in excess of $4,000 and opportunities for fundraising here in Kiryat Shemona are non-exstent. Please contribute what you can to this worthy cause. Here on the front-lines it would be greatly appreciated.

Please send your urgently needed tax deductible contributions to Chabad Lubavitch shluchim office @ 816 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11213. Those who do not need a US tax deduction may send their contributions to Chabad of Kiryat Shemona, PO Box 2225, Kiryat Shemona, Israel.

Yours truly,

Yoel

Please use the link at the bottom of this post to e-mail this letter to everyone you know.

Comments:
a chabadnick named yoel? no way!!!

 

once again the only chassidus that shows ahavas yisroel towards fellow jews keep up the amizing work

 

Right after Tisha B'Av one Yid is knocking another, How sad. Maybe that's why Moshiach hasn't come yet. This article brought tears to my eyes, tears for the residents of northern Eretz Yisroel, and tears of happiness that someone cares enough to help. The only way out of this golus is to get along with our fellow Jews in spite of our differences.

 

The only clear winner of this war is Chabad.

 

Yesterday, crown heights, Chabad yungerman beaten by group of ten men. any info?

 

who said about a yungerman in CH getting beaten up?

 

"All the stores are closed... everyone has left... no goes out of the bomb shelters... Send donations to POB..."
Who's running the post office? and who's going out to get the checks?

Something fishy here...

 

Jeez, anonymous, are you living in medieval Europe? (that means the Middle Ages, hundreds of years ago).

This is Israel, their are post office bank branches and every other kind of bank all over the country.
And they have this really coooool thing called credit and credit cards and electronic transfers, and all this real neat stuff.
So that kind of takes care of all your brilliant questions.

So stop looking for excuses not to help, and send a check, dammit.
(checks are these little pieces of paper...oh what the hell, you're not gonna give anything anyway.

 

Jeez, anonymous, are you living in medieval Europe? (that means the Middle Ages, hundreds of years ago).

This is Israel, their are post office bank branches and every other kind of bank all over the country.
And they have this really coooool thing called credit and credit cards and electronic transfers, and all this real neat stuff.
So that kind of takes care of all your brilliant questions.

So stop looking for excuses not to help, and send a check, dammit.
(checks are these little pieces of paper...oh what the hell, you're not gonna give anything anyway.

 

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