Hillels of Israel work together to supply bomb shelters and affected communities.

Rabbi Yossie Goldman, director general of Hillel Israel and associate vice president for Hillel International, reports that his staff and students are doing everything they can to support families affected by the ongoing situation in Gaza. In a recent letter to Hillel's International Center, Goldman wrote:

"Each day, as our friends and loved ones in the south of Israel run for shelter at the sound of a siren, those of us who are not in the battle zone can only wring our hands, glue ourselves to the news sources, worry, and pray for their safety. But the various Hillel centers across the country are doing something very positive with the nervous energy generated by the tense situation: they are collecting donated items to take to the south, helping to equip the bomb shelters with much-needed supplies.

"A good example is Emek Yezreel Hillel in Afula. Director Yaniv Binyamini got on the phone with his colleagues in Sderot, to find out how he and his Hillel students can help. Sapir Director Eyal Mazliah had a ready answer: we need hot water urns and toys for the shelters.

"Yaniv contacted his local municipality and the campus Student Union, partnerships were formed, and as you can see in the pictures below, students began a large operation to collect and transport the needed items to the south. Once the shipment reached Sderot, Eyal took over, supervising the distribution of the goods among the shelters that needed them.

"In the difficult situation that southern residents find themselves, it is heart-warming to know that people elsewhere in the country, and in the world, really care."  

Also in Israel, Sapir College is taking up a special collection for the bomb shelters of Sderot and the Gaza-border communities.

Donations should be directed to:
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
Hebrew University
Mount Scopus, Israel 91905

Shekel checks should be made out to Mossad Hillel.