Jewish groups set to depart New Jersey for Poland to bring supplies to Ukrainian refugees
CLOSTER, N.J. -- A dozen members of Jewish organizations in Bergen County will soon travel together to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war.
CBS2's Meg Baker spoke with them Monday as they prepare for the humanitarian effort.
Members of the Temple Emanu-El of Closter unloaded donations that will be brought to the border of Poland for Ukrainian refugees -- socks, soap, food, medical supplies, and more. Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner is coordinating the effort.
"These children and these mothers, their tears taste the same as ours, and we have a responsibility to ensure that we can help them," Kirshner said.
Steven Rogers is the CEO of Kaplan JCC on the Palisades. He said the Jewish community has had a bond with the JCC of Krakow for many years, and that is where the group will go.
"I think about the history of Jews and the holocaust was not so long ago and it just feels so much like that. It's heartbreaking," Rogers said. "It will also be nice to see our friends at the Krakow JCC, who, as you can imagine, have been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week and just show our support to them."
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Because shipping has been delayed or is cost prohibitive, the 12 people will each bring four to five camp duffle bags with supplies.
A big request came in for items for children, including diapers, formula, children's Tylenol, because parents could only pack so much.
"One of the big needs, believe it or not, is some dog toys. Everyone brought their pets across the border with them, and when you are carrying one bag, if you are lucky, you don't have any of the essentials of life. You don't know when you are going back. You don't know if you are ever going back," Rogers said.
"We want to be there to help others in any way we can. This is a small, small drop in the bucket of support, but it's emblematic of what we stand for in our community. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine, of all faiths and all backgrounds," Kirshner added.
The group will leave on Sunday. It pledges that any supplies that cannot be packed will get to the refugees on another trip.
The group said it will be in touch when it reaches Poland and will keep CBS2 posted on its efforts.