Humanitarian Aid Organization Israel La'ad Comes to Kiryat Shomena

Kiryat Shmona ---August 9.....The supermarket in Kiryat Shmona, Israel was empty. No lines, no loudspeakers announcing sales, no sound of cash machines opening and closing. Breaking this silence was the wail of air raid sirens as an endless line of shopping carts filled to the brim with everything from milk and cheese to washing detergent and shaving cream waited by one cash register.

Driving in large, green and blue pickup trucks, flying Israel flags and dodging falling Katusha rockets from Lebanon, Israel La'ad a humanitarian emergency relief organization arrived in Kiryat Shomena yesterday. Led by Rani Levy, a former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office and several volunteers who come from the Israel business sector, they risked their lives as they filled several trailers with food, home essentials, computers, fans and air conditioners and set out for several air raid shelters throughout the city.

"Israel La'ad is doing what the United Nations and the Red Cross is supposed to be doing in providing survival essentials to civilians in disaster areas," said Levy. "We see and hear about the plight and suffering of civilians in Lebanon, we see tons of aid arriving in that country, relief workers flocking in from all around the world. But not one UN or Red Cross representative in any of Israel's northern cities and towns. Is a Lebanese life worth more than a Jewish one?"

The emergency humanitarian aid convoy, left from the Greater Tel Aviv area, but all essentials were purchased in northern Israel. "Our purpose is two fold," said Levy. "To provide emergency humanitarian relief aid essentials as quickly as possible to those suffering in Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Metulla, Carmiel, Neve Ativ and the many Kibbutzim on the Israel Lebanon border and to purchase all of these essentials from local shopkeepers and supermarkets in the areas most affected. We must keep the economy running in the north."

The prime objective of any terror organization, such as the Hezbollah, is to create fear which would then paralyze economic infrastructure. Haifa, which has been hit by several Hizbollah rockets, and all factories north have been closed down costing the Israeli economy millions of dollars per day.

But one or two Katusha rockets that hit Hadera and Nazareth, do more harm psychologically than in terms of producing real physical damage.

For Kiryat Shomona, the physical damage is very real as over 50 rockets a day have been hitting the city and the immediate region. Combined with the thuds of Katusha rockets and IDF artillery it makes for an environment of trauma for the civilians.

As a result Kiryat Shemona yesterday began evacuating residents to cities and towns southward to central Israel. The evacuation would mark the first time Israel government has ever evacuated a city during a war. With as many as 9,000 mostly poor people remaining in the city after four weeks of war, residents have become fed up from being confined to the underground refuges.

"The shelters are not villas," said municipal council director Danny Kadosh. "They're good for a few hours - one to two weeks at the most, and it's caused psychological damage, and we need a week's break to refresh ourselves." The municipality says the evacuation started yesterday evening, and it could easily last through the next two weeks. Bureaucracy and a lack of government funding is still creating many obstacles for a real and speedy evacuation.

Already within the next few days, the town might be emptied of residents, said Mr. Kadosh. Because these Israel civilian refugees will only be offered subsidies covering one week's stay outside of the city, the plan is being called a "vacation" rather than an evacuation.

Rachel Ben-Sheetrit says, "Soon they will have to send us to the madhouse because we are all losing our minds." Unlike their more fortunate neighbors, Ben-Sheetrit and her crippled husband survive on welfare and so cannot afford to relocate with their six children to a hotel elsewhere in the country. With the war dragging on longer than most had expected, many of those who were initially able to escape are now returning having run out of funds. But the stuffy, pungent bomb shelters are more than some can bear, or, as in the case of 23-year-old asthma patient Eliran Lankri, survive. Tamar Ashtankar said, "We're worse off than refugees. At least refugees are looked after, nobody cares about us."

"Hopefully, they will enjoy themselves, and relax, and the children will get refreshed,' said Susan Peretz, municipal spokeswoman. In Israel's most-bombarded city, about 1,000 buildings have been damaged, as have 300 cars.

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in Israel today, most likely as a result of recent news reports on AP and Reuters where Israel civilians have openly asked where is the international relief effort. Jakob Kellenberger toured shelters and talked with residents in Nahariya who have spent nearly a month under fire from Hezbollah rockets. Kellenberger, who crossed the Lebanon - Israel border earlier today, said he was distressed to see that it was “always civilians on both sides who pay the price” for war. Nahariya has been one of the hardest-hit areas in Israel in the nearly month-long conflict with Hezbollah terrorists and an Lebanon government which ignored a UN resolution to disarm them.. Hezbollah terrorists have fired more than 3,100 missiles into northern Israel since the fighting started July 12. When the sirens went off, Kellenbeberger’s convoy quickly pulled to the side of the road and the ICRC president, his aides and journalists scrambled into a public bomb shelter where two Israeli families already had taken cover.

But for many the symboloic arrival of an International Red Cross delegation into Israel today was too little, too late.

"As Jews, as Israelis we have learned that we can only depend upon one another, said Levy. "We urgently ask our Jewish and Christian friends in the US, Europe and around the globe to provide immediate financial donations. We, here in Israel, will make sure that this emergency financial aid will translate into food, clothing and other essentials that will reach our civilians who have been living under constant terror attacks on our northern border for the past four weeks."

Israel La’ad was founded in 2004 by a small group of Israel businessmen who felt compelled to address the special needs of underprivileged groups in Israel society. Raanan Levy, a Zionist activist and a former Advisor to the Prime Minister on World Jewish and World Christian Affairs, initiated the project and acts as the organization’s Chairman. Israel La’ad currently operates the "Feed the Hungry", Afternoon Learning Centers (ALC) and "Ride for Pride" projects in several towns across Israel and has been able to reach and provide relief to many people in need. Israel La’ad works hand-in-hand with the social and welfare services offices in the towns it operates and has received great praise from those it has worked with. These offices direct Israel La’ad to those who need its help most.

But not one UN or Red Cross representative in any of Israel's northern cities and towns.

Great point I had not yet considered in this war.

Thank you, IB. Just another reason to not donate to the Red Cross but work through private charities. I believe much was delivered from here in Los Angeles. Also, Spielberg is donating $1 million, according to another report.

No one in the U.S. media reports on the bomb shelter conditions and plight of the poor described in this story.

The lack of internation aid is shameful and telling.

3 posted on 08/09/2006 1:22:28 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (Make your choice and save your tears....AM YISRAEL CHAI!)

That is a terrific article...thanks for posting...

BTW..we have a 24/7 LIVE thread about the Israel/Lebanon war...we sure would love to have you read and post on that thread, if you would like to.

Does that sound like something you would like to do?? I think all of us would really enjoy your perspective and your critical opinions...when WE get our opinions wrong about Israel.

Thank you so much for posting this article. We haven't heard very much from the MSM about civilians in Israel. I hope you'll come over to the Middle East Live thread and join us. We'd surely love to have your input.

I keep the people of Israel in my prayers every day.

Thank you for the kind invite. It would be my pleasure to contribute from Israel.

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