When the 500 members of the Milwaukee chapter of the Association of Jews from the Former Soviet Union heard about the recent Arab violence against Israel, many of them “felt pain for Israel” and wanted to do something, according to association chairman David Dreyzin.
So all 500 of the adult members plus an additional 100 nonmembers decided to raise money to give to families who had a loved one killed in the violence.
Most of these people are elderly and live on small or fixed incomes. They couldn’t raise a lot; about $4,000.
But as Dreyzin and other association board members proudly stated when they formally announced their gift on Feb. 22 at the office of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, every adult member of the association contributed something.
As MJF executive vice president Richard H. Meyer said when acknowledging the effort, “The amount is secondary to the fact that everybody thought it was important to do it, and I couldn’t agree more.”
They were also proud to announce that the federation added an additional $2,500 to their total. Indeed, Dreyzin said that when he informed the association’s national headquarters of this, “they were surprised,” because other association chapters do not have this kind of relationship with their local Jewish federations.
Said Meyer, “This is a good example of why it is important that we work together, and we will continue doing so.”
Moreover, according to Tanya Arbit, chair of new American outreach for the federation, this is the first time the local FSU Jewish community has undertaken something like this on its own.
“I hope this is a first step toward a wide Russian community campaign in the future,” she said.
The association will divide about $5,000 with six families, four of them FSU immigrants, two others native Israelis. The remaining $1,500 will be shared by two other families who have not yet been determined.
With the money goes a letter, signed by Dreyzin and Meyer, saying in part, “We are sending you not only this modest sum, but also our hearts, together with our sincerest wishes to be strong during these difficult times.”
Dreyzin said the idea arose at an association board meeting late last year and that board members began contributing to the fund on the spot.
Articles, letters to the editor and even poems about Israel linked to this effort were placed in the local monthly Russian-language publication Vzgyad, said Dreyzin.
Dreyzin himself made calls to Israel to find the families who would receive the gifts.
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