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Israel Humanitarian Aid Donates Food to Newtown Massacre First Responders
By
Lisa Klein Newtown, CT. --- December 18, 2012 ... Israel Humanitarian Aid, a global, non-profit, Israeli organization dedicated to helping worldwide communities to recover from both natural and man-made disasters, donated boxes of fresh food to first responders in Newtown, Connecticut. Last Friday, a deranged gunman murdered 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Twenty of the victims were young children between 6 and 7 years of age. In an interview with Israel Radio, Israel Humanitarian Aid Director Joel Leyden said that as an Israeli it was a natural and automatic response to help the people of Newtown, CT. "Whether
in uniform in the IDF, the border police or as a civilian, Israelis
are used to responding quickly to acts of terrorism and natural
disasters," said Leyden. Leyden, who has been at the scene of many terror attacks in Israel, said that if bringing the Newtown Police and Fire first responders fresh bread, cake, cookies and danish, would brighten their spirits, then his team's mission was successful. And that mission could not have been more successful with the many hugs, smiles and tears that took place between the Israel Humanitarian Aid team the Newtown Police and their partners from nearby towns. "Having served as a border policeman, I knew exactly what these men and women in uniform were going through," said Leyden. "The only difference between being in Newtown, Connecticut and being on the scene of a terror shooting or Islamic bomb attack in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem was the language," said Leyden. "But there was another distinction that one could not miss. Christmas decorations were draped all over the town. Christmas trees, Santa Claus and colorful holiday lights were lit up and decorated on almost every home. Inside the Newtown diner, which was almost completely empty, black ribbons now hung beside the green and red decorations. This was not a place of happiness. The town is in shock, all of Connecticut has been traumatized and the entire country is in mourning". Leyden said that there were at least a dozen make shift vigil sites within the town with tents, American flags, candles, condolence signs, condolence books and teddy bears for the public to see. Joining Leyden in visiting the first responders was Rebecca McCann who represented the Jewish community of Greater Hartford. McCann is a member of Temple Beth Hillel of South Windsor, CT.
Many condolences have arrived in Newtown by Israeli leaders. Israel President Shimon Peres stated: "On behalf of the people of Israel, as friends and as parents, we stand with you today in contemplation and grief over the atrocious, incomprehensible massacre of 20 children and six adults - educators - at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. No experience with death can be likened to that of a parents’ loss of their child. No crime is more heinous than the killing of a child." Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter last Friday
that he was "shocked and horrified by the savage massacre
of innocent children and adults" at the school in Newtown. "This is a beautiful, New England town that borders as a suburb of New York," said Leyden. "These families chose to live in Connecticut as they thought that the schools would be better and the environment would be safer. What they have learned is that no place is totally safe but that there is a warm and loving community surrounding them. Not just from neighboring towns in Connecticut, but also from those living across the US and from many of us from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa who know and understand the unexpected and tragic loss of life." The family of Noah Pozner, one of the young Jewish victims of the Newtown Massacre, has requested that contributions may be directed to the planting of trees in Israel.
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