Spokesman for the initiative Ruth Lieberman told Israel National Radio’s Eli Stutz and Yishai Fleisher Show about the need for such an airlift.
”For 100 days the refugees have been living in hotels and tent cities,” Lieberman said. “They are still there and many have not even arrived at interim solutions, so their possessions are still all locked up in warehouses. All electronic devices have been ruined by the heat and rats have eaten much of their clothing. Aside from that, the government rules that if someone opens their shipping container they must empty it completely and give it back - even though they have no place to put anything.”
The air lift was the brainchild of Dr. Daryl Temkin, a 52-year-old psychologist and Israel education activist from Los Angeles. Temkin contacted the Israel Homeless Association, who was willing to take care of the logistical aspects of the airlift on the Israeli side and decided that he would push forward with the massive effort.
"The excitement over this has been mainly because this is a unique opportunity for Jews to be helpful for their fellow Israeli Jews," Temkin said. "I received 400 e-mails within a few days. One manufacturer is donating 200 pairs of jeans and others contributed supplies of children's clothing and hundreds of shoes and still another manufacturer is sending an extraordinary number of winter coats.”
El Al airlines offered a special rate for shipping the goods, reducing the cost by more than $40,000 according to organizers. Young Israel and the Orthodox Union also assisted in the effort and local Los Angeles students volunteered to sort and package the goods. On the Israeli side, the OU Israel Center helped with distribution and Ed Wolf of the English Speaking Residents Association offered his expertise in shipping, which he gained helping new immigrants bring their possessions to Israel.
Though the initiative began in the Los Angeles area, other regions joined in as well. "I began receiving responses from Miami, Toronto, Montreal, and Denver and other cities. London also is working on one, and there is talk about it in South Africa and Australia," Temkin said.
Gadi Pickholz, Director of the Israel Homeless Association emphasized that this air lift is of particular importance to the Gush Katif refugees. “We collected the shoe sizes and various other measurements and needs from every single displaced community,” he said. "We went to the various Gush Katif communities, the Ir Emunah tent city and the caravans. From IHA’s apolitical perspective, these people are dislocated individuals who need our help”
"A lot of the donations to Gush Katif, while well intentioned, were almost arbitrary. You can go to these places and there are classrooms filled with things they don’t need. I mean how many Barbie T-shirts does a kid in the Golan Heights need? So this lift was to a large extent on a by-order basis. Having gotten the first wave of relief, we knew who had parkas and who had shoes and who didn’t, and we had, down to the ID numbers, lists of who has and who doesn’t have.”
The clothing on the airlift is all new and the electric appliances being shipped are 220 volts, in accordance with Israeli electrical currents. It also includes sweaters, raincoats, winter coats, blankets, shoes, Sabbath clothes, toddler toys and school supplies.
To contact the IHA email: israelhomeless@gmail.com
Eight more tons are on their way via future airlifts and ships.