Modest donors give sincere support
Since outbreak of war in Lebanon, average citizens from around world have been sending heartfelt support in shape of small donations to Israel, its civilians and soldiers. ‘I know this is a drop in the ocean, but it is my drop,’ writes one donor
The war in Lebanon roused Zionist sentiments among many Jews and Christians worldwide, especially in the United States and France, who donated funds (via Israeli organizations abroad) for the State of Israel, for the IDF and especially for civilians who suffered from the war.
Contributions have already arrived from some 100 donors, and they are being handled by the Justice Ministry.
Custodian General Shlomo Shahar, said, “The wave of donations started flowing immediately after the outbreak of the battles and still continues.” The Justice Ministry noted that most of the donors are “average citizens who were touched by the fighting and its results.”
The contribution amounts are not lofty, for the most part, and their aim is “to help, comfort and support the State and its residents in times of trouble.”
One of the donors, for example, sent a symbolic sum and adjoined an explanation to the check: “I know this is a drop in the ocean, but it is my drop…”
Another donor sent a check accompanied by instructions for the State and the army: “Fight will all your strength and might.”
Although the sums are not outrageously high, employees handling the matter were moved by the contributions and the accompanying missives, which demonstrate the warm relations between the Diaspora and the State of Israel.
Another donor, an elderly man from Philadelphia, who was upset by the deaths of Golani Brigade soldiers during one particular battle in Lebanon, turned to the nearest consulate and dispatched USD 25,000 for the purchase of equipment for a cultural hall for that particular brigade.
Last year (from September 2005 to the present), the estates department of the Office of the Custodian General received donations totaling over NIS 142 million.
