Air conditioning units donated to northern residents

"This is the best expression of contributing to the IDF and contributing to Israeli society."

By HAVIV RETTIG
gerry schwartz 298 88ap (photo credit: AP [file])
gerry schwartz 298 88ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
One hundred mobile air conditioning units were donated to northern residents who have been living in sweltering bomb shelters for over a week. The units were donated by Canadian Jewish billionaire Gerry Schwartz and the Heseg Fund for lone soldiers. They will be distributed to northern residents by Heseg scholarship recipients who were themselves lone soldiers. July temperatures in Israel can reach over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The Canadian Jewish community has said it would expand the operation. Canadian businessman Gerry Schwartz's representative in Israel, Aviv Bushinski, said, "This is the best expression of the Heseg Fund's combination of contributing to the IDF and contributing to Israeli society, which today find themselves together on the frontlines." Once the situation in the North is calm, the air conditioning units will be distributed to IDF units. The Heseg (Achievement) Fund was founded by Schwartz, a Canadian businessman, and Heather Reisman, founder and CEO of Indigo Books and Music, Inc. The fund's goal is to help lone soldiers volunteering for IDF service without the support of family in Israel.