Volunteers organizing a growing pile of donations in Newton, protesters outside a business in Cambridge, and heated debates on college campuses – all in reaction to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Donations collected by the community in Massachusetts are now en route to Israel.
The Israeli American Council of New England has transformed its office in Newton, Mass. into a donation center. They put out the call for supplies earlier this week and could not believe the response. Trucks full of donations for Israeli soldiers and their families have been arriving around the clock.
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Volunteers are now spending hours organizing the donations, boxing them up and shipping them out to Israel. They are in constant contact with people on the ground about what they need.
As of Thursday afternoon, officials were reporting at least 2,800 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, including 27 Americans.
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“We absolutely have to do whatever we can to poke holes of light in the darkness,” Karin Scharav Zalkind of the Israeli American Council said.
Among the volunteers are people who just got back from Israel like Itai Rotem.
“A lot of people I know are still in Israel right now. They’re scared and in and out of bomb shelters. I knew if I left, I could not just sit around do nothing,” Rotem said.
The Israeli American Council of New England will continue to collect donations as long as they are needed. They are posting updates on social media about what supplies are still looking for, including tactical gear for military units.
