‘Package from Home’ walkers hit Atlantic Beach

More than 250 women, men and children walked the walk in Atlantic Beach last Thursday to raise $25,000 to send necessities and tokens of appreciation to IDF soldiers at the Gaza front and the northern border in Israel.

This second annual walkathon for A Package From Home drew more than double the participants of last year. Organizer and volunteer Helen Fuchs attributed the large turnout to the “unfortunate help from Israel” because of the war there. She pointed out that they send packages in peace-time as well and requested that participants return when that happens.

The event was held at the Sunny Atlantic Beach Club that donated use of their facility and valet parking.

Walkers signed up, received grey T-shirts and walked in groups, many discussing the current war in Israel, along the weather worn wooden boardwalk behind the beach clubs in Atlantic Beach. The peaceful breezy sun drenched walk along the pristine sand and water was a marked contrast to the 80 plus missiles shot on Israel daily from Gaza and the stress of war gripping Israel. But the unity of Jews there and worldwide spilled over boosting this effort and was on all participants’ minds.

“I’m here to support the IDF,” said Susan Sachs of Lawrence. “They’re putting their lives on the line for our State, doing hard work. We’re taking a stroll.”

“It’s important,” said one of the organizers, Ann Slockowsky of Cedarhurst. “It helps supply some basic needs. It’s usually for lone soldiers, now it’s for all the soldiers in the south and in the north.”

Following the walk, participants Skyped with participants of a similar walk held in Beit Shemesh, Israel, and ate a buffet lunch donated by Newstar Caterers. Politicians briefly addressed the group and two lone soldiers, IDF soldiers from abroad who go to Israel without their families, talked about being lone soldiers and their appreciation for the packages they received while serving in the IDF.

Avi Kwestel of Lawrence, one of the lone soldiers, described his tour of duty. He was in the Kfir brigade in Judea and Samaria in armored vans, wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, and carrying a loaded weapon while patrolling Jenin and Tulkarem. He stressed that lone soldiers are no different from the Israeli soldiers in the service they do, citing the deaths of two lone soldiers in Gaza in the current war, Sean Carmeli and Max Steinberg.

Kwestel noted that Israeli soldiers come home to a warm meal, their moms do their laundry and they can relax. A lone soldier gets back to the central bus station, has to run errands, find a place for Shabbat, call his parents back in the U.S. to reassure them and find a place to do laundry. “It’s great when people send fleeces, camelbacks, blankets and pillows, and food,” he said.

The other lone soldier, Tamir Jacobi, is a graduate of Yeshiva of Flatbush and is currently in Hesder and learning in Netiv Aryeh in Jerusalem. He said he came from a very Zionist home and always dreamed of living in Israel and serving in the IDF. He said he has felt his impact as a soldier, when civilians rely on him as a soldier for their safety. Jacobi recalled being in the Golan in the “freezing” winter during Chanukah when the troops were called to a truck by the commander and received Chanukah packages.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I still have five toothpastes.” He said the best experience was Pillar of Defense, while waiting for their orders on the border of Gaza. “It was amazing seeing the civilians visiting, the morale was so high,” he said, even though there were no sirens and it was not safe there.

“I can’t sleep,” said Sandy Kessler, a retired pre-school teacher from HAFTR. She has grandchildren in Israel and commends the support of the community there, helping the families of soldiers on duty. She said she constantly listens for the phone, that if she doesn’t hear from her granddaughter and children every two hours she worries.

“I can’t stop crying,” said Susan Cohen of Far Rockaway, through drying tears. “My nephew is in the army; he buried five friends. The apathy of the world is terrible. Why don’t they wake up and see reality. It’s not just Israel, it’s in Israel and it’s here. I bless every boy in the army there. We have to have an intelligent answer-Hamas is winning the PR war. Talking amongst ourselves doesn’t help.”

“I’m very proud of our community; they came out to support this cause and raise money for the soldiers,” said Annette Kaufman of Woodmere. “This is as important a war as 1948 because we are fighting a very different battle, not fought in normal terms, with the eradicating of tunnels.”

She said it’s a fight for the world to exist, for the world to understand Israel’s right to exist and for Israel’s independence. She cited the footage of tunnels and weapons in mosques and hospitals, and the Hamas rockets destroying their own hospitals. “Our hearts are broken when we see dead children, they are proud. For them it’s a great honor to die for their cause, for us it’s an honor to live for our G-d.”

The packages for the soldiers are assembled by volunteers in a synagogue in Jerusalem. Items are sent from abroad or purchased from donations sent to the organization. All food in the packages is certified kosher and groups including Birthright, Yeshiva University and Bar and Bat Mitzva children as well as visiting tourists of various religions have come to help out.

For more information visit aPackageFromHome.org.