Ukraine: delivery of kosher food and matzah

When the first transport arrived safely in Lviv, we started work on the second. A shipment of kosher food for Passover was to be brought on its way to Lviv. No sooner said than done, everything was organized and 300 kilos of kosher food for Passover were sent via Frankfurt, then Monchengladbach to Lviv.

Our treasurer, Kurt De Jong got in touch with the kosher food shop "Migal" in Frankfurt and we then ordered everything there. Kosher cakes, marrows, mazot, stuffed (gefillte) fish, krejn and matzo dumpling mix were sent on their way.

Here I would like to thank my husband's colleague in the office, Mr. Rautnikzki, who packed everything professionally and made sure that the carrier brought everything to Monchengladbach.

Because I could not have transported 300 kg of food in the car. There it was loaded onto the buses and everything arrived wonderfully at our sisters and brothers. So now they can all celebrate a kosher Passover. A big thank goes again out to Mrs. Floh from the Jewish Community of Monchengladbach. This was a shared action with the Ukraine Help Leopolis in Cologne.

But the story goes even further. The Jewish community in Ternopil had heard about this delivery. After all, it is important to know that the Jewish community in Lviv belongs to the incorporation of Ternopil. The chairman of the community contacted us through the president of the Lodge in Lviv. For his congregation and all the smaller congregations in the catchment area, 1000 kilos of matzo, or 1000 packets of matzoth, were needed.

The president of the community was even willing to sell his car to buy the matzoth. 1000 packets of matzah, that was quite a number. However, through Rabbi Zalman Gurevitch of Chabad Frankfurt, we were able to find this large lot of matzoth - at Buchinger in Strasbourg. The community in Ternopil organized the transport and collected everything in Strasbourg. Our Lodge paid the costs.

It is important for me to share all this with you. Because we have received another large donation from the B'nai B'rith Rheinland Lodge  in Cologne for which do thank our sisters and brothers and in May another shipment of needed medicine and food will be on its way.

I thank all the donors without whom this would not have been possible.

Maybe all this is just a "drop in the ocean", but that doesn't matter, because even the little we can do must be done. It is a matter of the heart to help our Jewish sisters and brothers in Ukraine.

Special thanks go to Sister Lali Leviashvilli. She translated everything again and again and was the contact person for the lodge president from Lviv and for the chairman of the Jewish community of Ternopil. Whether early in the morning, at night or late in the evening, Lali was always available for everyone. Without Lali we would not have been able to establish this direct contact.

We remain active and wish all sisters and brothers Chag Pesach Saemach and our Christian friends a blessed Easter.

Simone Hofmann

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