Aid stolen from Holocaust survivors

Volunteers from the Association for Immediate Help for Holocaust Survivors say organization was devastated by a violent robbery.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
holocaust hand 311 (photo credit: courtesy)
holocaust hand 311
(photo credit: courtesy)
Volunteers from the Association for Immediate Help for Holocaust Survivors say their organization has been devastated by a violent robbery that took place in late June.
Around NIS 100,000 worth of equipment and food meant to assist survivors was stolen, they said.
“Five hundred tuna cans, 200 boxes of salmon, expensive equipment to repair the homes of survivors, such as drills costing NIS 4,000 each, medical equipment – all of these were taken,” the association’s CEO Tamara More told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
A man in his 20s broke into two storage facilities at the association’s building in Ma’as, near Petah Tikva, in broad daylight.
“At 11 a.m., one of our volunteers heard a noise from the storage area. He was sure it was another volunteer taking equipment. He went outside to see if he could help. As he approached the storage shed, he saw a broken door and spotted an individual leaning over items. He asked, ‘who are you?’ The individual turned around and threw a long metal pole at him with full force,” More said.
“Our volunteer was injured in the face. The thief then ran to a waiting van and shouted in Arabic to the driver, ‘go, go!’” More added. “We had a guard dog outside, but it didn’t help.”
Food and equipment were taken. All of the equipment was used to improve the lives of Holocaust survivors, More said. “We use branch saws to clear a path to the homes of the elderly survivors, and drills to repair their homes.
“This is a disaster. We don’t know how to recover from this. We’re all volunteers. No one here has time to deal with donations,” she said.
The center helps around 3,000 Holocaust survivors around the country, with food, medical equipment, transport to doctors, shopping, and psychological and legal services, she said.
“One of the storage sheds itself was stolen,” More added.
The Association for the Immediate Assistance for Holocaust survivors can be reached at (03) 525-7888 or at helpline77@gmail.com