goooo israel
Israel’s EL AL cargo plane, bound to aid in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, touched down at Jacksonville Air Force Base in Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8th, CST.
Loaded with equipment and baby food and products, the delivery was made possible thanks to a Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael initiative together with the Israeli government and Osem Food products. The plane was set to go just hours after the disaster occurred but was put on hold until the major part of the evacuation took place.
The airlift was also met by a truck sent up from Dallas, TX, loaded with baby wipes supplied by JNF National Board of Director member Tony Gelbart, CEO of Paper Partners and a Boca Raton resident. The wipes are actually Israeli-made but had already been shipped for delivery in the States and were rerouted to help in the relief effort.
The plane was met by residents of the Little Rock Jewish community and the local Jewish federation, who had been notified of the airlift by JNF.
Cargo Being Removed from Plane"We saw the plane land," said Lynn Greenberg, administrator of the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, "and then we saw them open the doors and watched the crew come off. They invited us on to see the contents and it was jammed with stuff. We got to talk to the crew who were grinning from ear to ear.
"For me, it was overwhelming. I felt really good, really, really proud. It was a very warm feeling. It felt like mishpacha. And I must say the EL AL plane dwarfed the others on the tarmac."
The whirlwind plan was put into action almost immediately after the hurricane hit, as JNF Chief Emissary Avinoam Binder contacted Ambassador Daniel Ayalon who contacted officials in the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Israel was one of the first nations to offer relief aid, if not the first," said Israeli Ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon. "America has always been there for Israel, and Israel is there for America."
Once it was determined that the Israeli government was tending to the requested equipment, JNF decided to organize assistance and partnered with Osem Food Products and Remedia, a baby food company in Israel, to supply the order they’ve been given: urgently needed baby food, enough to feed 30,000 children. JNF also reached out to its donors and they responded and are still responding to help defray some of the cost and alleviate some of the financial burden placed on Israeli companies. Two major contributions were made possible by Gene Epstein of Pennsylvania and Tony Gelbart.
EL AL Cargo Plane
"When Russell Robinson, CEO of JNF, called me Thursday late afternoon and requested to ship food stuff to Katrina victims we had to mobilize our Israeli resources fast," related Izzet Ozdogan, president of Osem, USA. "Friday and Saturday are difficult days to make things happen in Israel. But still Dan Propper, the CEO of Osem in Israel, jumped in when I talked to him at his home and immediately committed to donate whatever was needed from Osem. Then I called Shalom Seidler, chairman of Wissotzky Teas and chairman of the Food Division of Israel Export Institute. Shalom mobilized the entire processed food industry in Israel. I am very glad that Fine Foods from Israel contributed to alleviate the pain of the Katrina disaster victims and I commend JNF for the initiative and the people of Israel for their commitment to help others."
Loaded with equipment and baby food and products, the delivery was made possible thanks to a Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael initiative together with the Israeli government and Osem Food products. The plane was set to go just hours after the disaster occurred but was put on hold until the major part of the evacuation took place.
The airlift was also met by a truck sent up from Dallas, TX, loaded with baby wipes supplied by JNF National Board of Director member Tony Gelbart, CEO of Paper Partners and a Boca Raton resident. The wipes are actually Israeli-made but had already been shipped for delivery in the States and were rerouted to help in the relief effort.
The plane was met by residents of the Little Rock Jewish community and the local Jewish federation, who had been notified of the airlift by JNF.
Cargo Being Removed from Plane"We saw the plane land," said Lynn Greenberg, administrator of the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, "and then we saw them open the doors and watched the crew come off. They invited us on to see the contents and it was jammed with stuff. We got to talk to the crew who were grinning from ear to ear.
"For me, it was overwhelming. I felt really good, really, really proud. It was a very warm feeling. It felt like mishpacha. And I must say the EL AL plane dwarfed the others on the tarmac."
The whirlwind plan was put into action almost immediately after the hurricane hit, as JNF Chief Emissary Avinoam Binder contacted Ambassador Daniel Ayalon who contacted officials in the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Israel was one of the first nations to offer relief aid, if not the first," said Israeli Ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon. "America has always been there for Israel, and Israel is there for America."
Once it was determined that the Israeli government was tending to the requested equipment, JNF decided to organize assistance and partnered with Osem Food Products and Remedia, a baby food company in Israel, to supply the order they’ve been given: urgently needed baby food, enough to feed 30,000 children. JNF also reached out to its donors and they responded and are still responding to help defray some of the cost and alleviate some of the financial burden placed on Israeli companies. Two major contributions were made possible by Gene Epstein of Pennsylvania and Tony Gelbart.
EL AL Cargo Plane
"When Russell Robinson, CEO of JNF, called me Thursday late afternoon and requested to ship food stuff to Katrina victims we had to mobilize our Israeli resources fast," related Izzet Ozdogan, president of Osem, USA. "Friday and Saturday are difficult days to make things happen in Israel. But still Dan Propper, the CEO of Osem in Israel, jumped in when I talked to him at his home and immediately committed to donate whatever was needed from Osem. Then I called Shalom Seidler, chairman of Wissotzky Teas and chairman of the Food Division of Israel Export Institute. Shalom mobilized the entire processed food industry in Israel. I am very glad that Fine Foods from Israel contributed to alleviate the pain of the Katrina disaster victims and I commend JNF for the initiative and the people of Israel for their commitment to help others."