South Florida warehouse owner works to raise millions, send tons of supplies to Israel
MIAMI - Pallets filled with much-needed supplies for Israel are being loaded onto trucks.
It will get into the hands of some of the 250,000 Israelis evacuated from about 30 towns and villages in the south.
"Everything that is yellow is 100% humanitarian," Lior Hazen said pointing to pallets wrapped in yellow. "You have toys for the kids, you have laptops, clothes. Remember those people left their houses with nothing," he said.
Hazen owns the warehouse and is working with several groups to get help to those who need it.
"The blue ones," he said pointing to pallets wrapped in blue, "We have about 100 pallets to send, that's all medical supplies for the hospitals for the 911 responders," Hazen said.
Everything in this warehouse will be moved out... then trucked to a waiting cargo plane in New York. It will arrive in Israel on Wednesday.
"This is the 4th one. So far, we sent about 350 tons, we have another 110 tons today. So, 460 tons sent from this warehouse," he said.
The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is helping to organize the effort, saying it symbolizes "One people, one heart."
"We've raised 25 million dollars to provide humanitarian services to the people of Israel to aid in the rebuilding and to be there with them to say, 'Even if you could do it yourself, you don't have to because we're behind you all the way,'" said Jeff Levin with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
The Israel Counsel General said this is heartwarming.
"I spend almost every evening over here. I see people from all over the place, Jews, non-Jews, Israelis, non-Israelis donating, giving their time with a lot of passion to the people of Israel," said Israel Counsel General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky.
He's grateful to those making it happen.
"People came to this warehouse on a regular basis packing boxes. We had donors that came from construction companies giving us supplies to rebuild. We had people who have us medical supplies like generators and defibrillators, there's all kinds of needs during time of war," said one of the organizers Tila Falic Levi.
Holocaust survivor Ivan Gluck volunteers his time to help in the effort — doing what he can to help those who are suffering. "Goodness always wins over evil, but I ask God why there's so much evil, but the goodness will prevail," Gluck said.