Israel's oldest standing charity, Colel Chabad, founded in 1778, and the IDF Home Front Command, which is in charge of assisting the civilian population in times of national crises, have joined forces to support families who were forced into isolation following suspected exposure to coronavirus.
Currently, cities that are labelled by health officials as "red," meaning that they have high number of coronavirus patients, also have large ultra-orthodox (haredi) and Arab communities. As of August 25, the cities include Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Elad and the Yacha.
Given the fact that Colel Chabad has managed to establish effective food distribution infrastructure for families in need, it was chosen by the IDF to assist in the efforts to provide food supplies for the families in need.
The Home Front Command, which is leading the struggle against the coronavirus on the ground, and comes in contact with afflicted communities daily, is also responsible for providing food to those who cannot leave their homes.
“We are bringing the food to them rather than having them come to our soup kitchens or even to the local supermarket as well as keeping the family as entertained as possible,” said Rabbi Mendy Blau, Israel Director of Colel Chabad.
Families are provided with food crates or fresh food deliveries, but in some cases they receive a debit card which is used for purchasing groceries online. In some cases, special funding is provided to help the families purchase games and books for children.
"The partnership with Colel Chabad has allowed the Jerusalem and Center District of the Home Front Command to reach more homes and audiences," said Col. Itay Levi, Commanding Officer of the Jerusalem and Central District of the Home Front Command.
Apart from ultra-orthodox families, a large number of food packages recipients come the Arab sector, providing an opportunity to set differences aside and work together to contain the spread of coroanvirus.