Pack A Seder for Holocaust Survivors this Pesach

As war continues, one organization is stepping in to support Holocaust survivors ahead of Passover. Kabad is the oldest Jewish charity known for helping the needy and supporting them. They now have a special campaign to help Holocaust survivors for the Passover holiday, especially during these turbulent times during this war with Iran. Joining us now from New York is Salman Duckman, executive director of Kabad. Thank you for joining. >> Hey, how are you Sivan? >> Good, thank you. as good as could be. >> Thank you for having me. >> So, we're heading into Passover next week during a time of war. What are you seeing on the ground when it comes to Holocaust survivors? Right now, >> we're actually we're exactly 7 days away from the seder for um you know, millions of people throughout Israel will be making a seder. We don't know if those seders are going to take place with people alone in shelters or maybe by some miracle together they'll be able to together with family. Kabad is responsible for 16,000 Holocaust survivors, making sure that they have food, making sure that they get fresh meals delivered. Those that um many of them have home health aids that unfortunately the home health aids are unable to show up now. So, they're alone delivering hot meals every single day to thousands of Holocaust survivors. But just the thought of having a Holocaust survivor sitting alone the night of Pesak, a night that's supposed to be about freedom of remembering miracles and each of them endured so much that it is impossible to imagine that they should be alone without the Pesak provisions. So we have set up what is called pack a seder where we're packing a seder to go with matzah and grape juice and hagada. Many of them most probably the will be with in Russian. Um, many of these young many of these older holoca many of these Holocaust survivors as a child remembers the trauma of being in shelters when they were children and it's extremely hard for them and we have to do the best we can to make sure each and every single one gets delivered um a packet or a seder for them to go to take them wherever they are. We have um thousands of volunteers in in Israel now delivering start planning how we're going to deliver and we're going to begin delivering right after uh this Shabbat to uh to each of them that they should have the provisions for Passover. >> So you're assisting in providing food, food packages, hot meals. Is it also financial person? >> Yes. KA Kabad is the oldest continuously operating charity in Israel um established in 1788 um by the alterba the first kabad reba and we've been um helping the poor and needy in Israel ever since then the method we use has changed um something unique about kabad when especially when it comes to Holocaust survivors we don't wait for them to reach out to to us we call them we're in regular contact with them people need to understand that we help them all year and all the time so not just Now, most times they have our food card um where they shop using our food card. Now, they're scared to leave. They're scared to leave their home. Um even if they um and and for the seder, there's a lot more expenses. So, we're going to be delivering that. And this is an opportunity for anyone around the world that feels the passion. They want to do something. You could participate in a seder of a person that may be alone. And the just the image of Holocaust survivors celebrating seder alone in a shelter is just heart-wrenching. could imagine how much worse it would be if they wouldn't have matzah or grape juice or or or or a seder plate or other provisions. So, anyone wherever they are, it's very simple. Packaser.com and we could deliver on your behalf just cost about just about $36. Um, we have a lot of college students and high school students that are out of school anyways volunteering to make the deliveries and it's really a great opportunity. It's also a great representation of the international community coming together. Kavad relies very much on donations from the international community. We also work in partnership with the IFCJ and to get and and with the claims conference and with local municipalities. So we work very closely with the other um those in this space. But it's a really a unique opportunity to see from all over the world how many people care and how passionate people are to help others at this time. >> Well, Zelman Duckman, thank you very much. This is great work that you guys are doing and hopefully it will make some people very very happy during challenging times. >> We hope it shouldn't be necessary. We would rather them going to community saders in our soup kitchens or all that but it seems it's not it's it's not on it's it's not on the menu. >> Doing the best you can under the circumstances. Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much and have a >> thank you. Happy best over.