The Upper West Side and other communities across the tri-state area joined with Migdal Ohr to collect much-needed items, ranging from clothing to toiletries to baby supplies, for permanently displaced families from Southern Israel. Migdal Ohr is currently absorbing 1,500 residents.

The Manhattan location drop-off for the drive was the Upper West Side’s Jewish Center. As stated by Rabbi Dr. Yosie Levine: “It’s difficult to come to terms with the gravity of the suffering in Israel at this moment. Migdal Ohr’s relief efforts have been nothing short of extraordinary. The members of The Jewish Center have mobilized and are contributing in every way they can.”

Dana Fine, one of the volunteers spearheading the drive on behalf of The Jewish Center, said: “The response has been tremendous. People have been coming in nonstop with supplies, and volunteers have been staffing the project all day long.” Fine added that the “sense of community and support has been both amazing and therapeutic during these challenging times.”

As of press time, which is only halfway through the four-day drive, the West Side location had already collected 100 duffle bags full of supplies.

Judith Falk is the creator of the Upper West Side Shtetl Facebook Group. You can follow her on instagram @upperwestsideshtetl. She is a lawyer by day and a former legal reporter.