Fresno native volunteering to help refugees in Israel amid war

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Chaya Zirkind, who was calved and raised successful Fresno but present lives successful New York, conscionable got backmost from 3 weeks successful Israel, helping astir 70,000 radical surviving successful Israel and impacted by the Israel-Hamas war.

She volunteered with the Chabad of Eilat, a assemblage successful Southern Israel, successful the shadiness of the partition surrounding the Gaza Strip.

"Overnight, it became transformed into a spot of 50,000 radical positive tourists; it present had 70,000 refugees, truthful 129,000 radical they are servicing. Each edifice is similar a city," said Zirkind.

They provided antithetic programs, events, and enactment astatine hotels, schools, and subject bases.

"You could beryllium packing lunches for soldiers oregon picking effect astatine the farm. There is thing for everyone to do," said Zirkind.

Zirkind says volunteering during the week of Hanukah was powerful, uniting thousands during a beatified week and trying times.

"There is simply a batch of gratitude from radical that aftermath up each morning, but determination are others who are traumatized and bash not ever person their edifice room," said Zirkind. "So determination is simply a wide gamut of radical that are each going done what happened successful very, precise antithetic ways."

What stuck with Zirkind the astir was proceeding stories from those who near everything behind.

"Real people. Real stories. If you went for a month, you could not beryllium capable to cod each of the stories," said Zirkind.

Zirkind says portion determination volition ever beryllium aggregate perspectives astir the months-long Israel-Hamas War... her anticipation is for the Jewish assemblage to instrumentality together.

She says her acquisition volunteering was life-changing.

"Afterwards, it sunk in...like wow, we helped bring joyousness to truthful galore people. It was incredible," said Zirkind.

You tin enactment the enactment helping assistance Israel refugees by clicking here.

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