NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A large group of South Florida rabbis and parents touched down in Israel Sunday to show their support for the country in crisis amid the ongoing war.
They left on a flight out of Miami International Airport on Saturday night.
The group is delivering, among other things, much needed military equipment to the front lines.
Joseph Waks lives in Bay Harbor Islands and he was on that flight. His 20-year-old son had previously flown to Israel after volunteering to fight.
“Any father would be extremely nervous,” said Waks. “I have had sleepless nights since he left last week, Wednesday.”
Back in South Florida, residents continue to donate items to get to the soldiers, like at the Sky Lake Synagogue.
For Waks, he couldn’t wait in Miami knowing his son was fighting.
Immediately after arriving in Israel, he has to rush into a bomb shelter.
“We’ve got one homeland and if we are not here to protect, who will,” he said.
On Monday, a Local 10 News crew was back at MIA as dozens and dozens of suitcases with supplies headed to Israel.
“We’ve gained over 1,000 volunteers, millions of dollars in donations and we’re sending things in suitcases everyday,” Mark Schnitman, of America for Israel, said. “Mostly help for soldiers for comfort, for tactical things.”
Nati Schnitman is one of the people who started the organization “America for Israel” about a week ago.
“We made an arrangement with the airlines, and made a list of items from the soldiers. And we have warehouses here, warehouses in Israel, and then we kind of collect it here and send it to Israel and pick it up in Israel,” he said. “There’s so much help that’s needed and we’re so little. Even with sending thousands of things, it’s still not touching everybody.”