Chabad's Children of Chernobyl (CCOC) is airlifting the 23 children from the danger zones in Belarus and Ukraine Wednesday. They are due to arrive Thursday morning at Ben Gurion International Airport.
The flight is the 72nd of its kind, bringing to 2,371 the number of children evacuated to Israel, the only country in the world to offer permanent refuge to the Chernobyl victims. The children live on special campuses in the town of Kfar Chabad, where they receive medical care, education, and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables to help restore their health and vitality. Most have settled in Israel permanently following the eventual Aliyah (immigration to Israel) of their parents.
CCOC provides direct relief to tens of thousands in Ukraine and Belarus as well, through regular shipments of medicines and supplies to local hospitals.
" Today, the world is focused on the Chernobyl catastrophe with anniversary speeches and ceremonies, " said CCOC Director Yossie Raichik. "Then it's back to business as usual. Our response to Chernobyl is to act to continue and expand our programs, which alleviate the pain on a daily basis, in Israel and in the irradiated regions. This outstanding initiative is undertaken in partnership with Jews from every corner of the globe, who believe that life and health are the birthright of every child. We remember the children the world has forgotten."
The Chernobyl disaster, unlike other disasters, gets worse, not better, over time. Greenpeace issued a report last week with fresh statistics confirming CCOC's medical study on CCOC evacuees: children unborn at the time of the disaster are increasingly at risk for thyroid and other cancers. Greenpeace also highlighted spiraling rates of breast cancer, other solid cancers, heart disease, and genetic defects, with 90% of the children in Belarus alone classified as unhealthy. The soil and water are also seriously contaminated.
CCOC was founded in 1990 in response to appeals to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory, by Jewish parents living in the contaminated areas who feared for their children's lives.