2 Jewish Federation Of Southern New Jersey Members Heading To Poland To Help Ukrainian Refugees
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- Some people in South Jersey are on their way to Europe to do what they can to help Ukrainians during the war.
Two members of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey are on their way to Poland. Their goal is to help as many refugees as possible.
With prayers for a safe journey, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey gathered Monday to wish CEO Jen Weiss and Harry Platt well as they fly toward a war zone.
"I'm going to be picturing people probably going through the worst thing in their entire lives. I expect it to be an emotional time, people being grateful for the fact that they can move on and be free. I also expect it to be difficult to watch some of the suffering they're going through," Platt said.
The two say the organization has only been planning for about a week but managed to round up about 1,000 pounds of medical supplies and toys for children. These donations are worth more than $60,000.
"We're bringing a lot of the over-the-counter medical supplies -- anything from Tylenol, aspirin, Gas-X, Tums. Anything you may need," Platt said.
It comes as Putin's attack on Ukraine intensifies. Ukrainian officials are reporting the bodies of hundreds of civilians were found in Kyiv-area towns.
"It's a lot, right? We, I think, are focused on the refugee part and the women and their children coming across the border into Poland," Weiss said.
Weiss says their people's plight is something the Jewish community can relate to.
"The shoulders that we stand on are people who've come to this country from other places," Weiss said.
As they load up their cars and head to the airport, their tearful goodbyes show how much this mission means.
The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey has already raised more than $170,000 to date. They are expected to be back on Thursday.