(Courtesy of The Jewish Agency) As vulnerable populations continue to take precautions due to the raging delta variant of COVID-19, The Jewish Agency for Israel’s affordable housing subsidiary, Amigour, provided comprehensive food care packages to the elderly and Holocaust survivors so they did not have to risk exposure when buying these essential supplies for Rosh Hashanah.
Amigour, The Jewish Agency’s public housing subsidiary which provides a roof over the head of thousands of elderly Israelis, delivered the packages to its dozens of complexes nationwide. The campaign began distributing 6,250 packages worth a total of 750,000 NIS ($233,000) to 56 Amigour housing complexes across the country last week, and concluded its campaign at the start of the holiday. These packages were offered to Amigour residents thanks to donations raised by The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Hayesod, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Each food package, worth some 120 NIS ($37), included wine, honey, honey cake, jam and other goods like pasta, rice, tuna, ptitim (Israeli couscous) and oil, so that those in need could kick off the new year with a smile.
Moreover, the food baskets enabled Amigour tenants to celebrate Rosh Hashanah together without having to venture to the store and risk exposure to COVID-19, particularly given their risk factors for the virus.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Amigour has distributed thousands of care packages to elderly residents in nursing homes to coincide with the Jewish holidays. Care packages were sent during Passover and Shavuot, for example, and those who needed to be in isolation received challahs for Shabbat.
Acting Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive and Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel, who accompanied volunteers distributing the packages, said: “I want to thank Keren Hayesod, the Jewish Federations and the Claims Conference and all donors for their generous contributions. Thanks to their involvement, we are able to distribute thousands of care packages to the needy and Holocaust survivors who are now able to begin the year on the right foot.”
Amigour Chairman Arieh Abir added: “We had a year full of challenges—from the ongoing struggle with COVID-19 to a military operation in the South, to rocket fire across many cities in Israel. Despite this, we continued to hold concerts and many cultural events to make it easier for elderly citizens to spend time in our nursing homes. I thank the donors who made these care packages possible and the dedicated staff who work day and night to make life for our tenants comfortable. I hope that the next year will be one of health and peace. On behalf of Amigour, we wish a happy new year to the Jewish people.”
In the South, packages were sent to Beer Sheva, Ashkelon, Sderot, Ofakim, Kiryat Gat, Arad and Rehovot. In the North, packages were sent to Haifa, Naharyia, Kiryat Motzkin, Kiryat Yam, Nesher, Carmiel and Migdal HaEmek. In central Israel, packages were sent to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, Kiryat Ono, Lod and Holon. Finally, in the Sharon area, packages were sent to Kfar Saba, Netanya and Herzliya.
