The Orthodox Union (OU), America's massive Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, is launching a campaign on Tuesday to raise money for medical equipment, specifically oxygen concentrators, for India, as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. As of Tuesday, India's number of cases rises to over 26 million, with a death toll of over 307,231. Some 195 million vaccines have been administered. “We have the opportunity to participate in saving lives and we must do our part," said OU President Moishe Bane. The campaign, which asks individuals and families to donate $18, will go on for the next two weeks. The goal is to acquire and donate 50,000 oxygen concentrators. Each one could help over 1,000 people breathe properly. Just three weeks ago, Israel sent its own cargo plane filled with COVID-19 medical supplies, including ventilators and thousands of oxygen generators. "We will stand by India in these difficult days, just as India stood by us in the first weeks of the coronavirus crisis and allowed necessary and urgently needed medical equipment to reach Israel," Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said at the time. This much-needed aid plane came after an announcement by India's opposition leader that a nationwide lockdown is the only way out of the newest massive surge of infections. The cases in India continue to rise, and the medical system is cracking under the pressure, with the quality and access to treatment worsening in the more rural areas. "While we continue to focus so much of our energy and resources on the troubling increase in antisemitic attacks around the world, we remain mindful of the trials faced by others. As citizens of the world, it is our responsibility to help those in India during this difficult time," added OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer.
Participate in the campaign here: https://www.ou.org/crisis-in-india/
Jerusalem Post Staff and Reuters contributed to this report.