An IsraAID worker walks alongside a Muslim refugee.

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'”  (Mark 6:31)

Since September 2, Israeli NGO IsraAID has had volunteers on the shores of Lesbos, Greece, to receive refugees from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.  On Rosh HaShanah, saved the lives of several women and children when their boat capsized and its engine exploded.

“Some of the women, children and babies didn’t know how to swim and our staff immediately jumped into the water to help them, preventing them from drowning,” said Shachar Zahavi, founding director of IsraAID: The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid.  “After bringing everyone onto the shore safely, our medical team treated some of the sick and injured while our logistic team distributed food and water to the rest.”  (ISRAEL21c)

IsraAID workers help rescue drowning refugees.  (IsraAID Facebook)

Up to 10 IsraAID volunteers have been working the refugee relief mission this month, with five more to arrive in Europe next week.  The group draws financial support from European Jewish foundations, as well as Gentile international aid agencies.
 
“Our staff is overwhelmed but we cannot stop now, especially as more refugees are on their way,” says Zahavi, whose team has provided shelter, sustenance, blankets, baby carriers, and relief kits with personal-hygiene items, warm clothes and maps “so the refugees know where to go.”

“Personally, I can’t stop thinking that the ones we saved will join the masses of refugees walking hundreds of kilometers to flee violence and conflict, all with barely the clothes on their backs.  I hope more people will join us in reaching out a helping hand,” Zahavi said.

At the seaside in Lesbos, “Day and night, IsraAID‬ enters the water to help pull people to safety,” the group states.  “Our medical team then treats them on the shore and we provide non-food and food items and help direct them on their journey to safety.”

An IsraAID worker distributes drinking boxes to refugees as they make their way through Europe.

From Lesbos, the volunteers walked on Monday with thousands of refugees to the border of Hungary, which permitted refugees through the official crossing, despite the Serbia-Hungary border being closed.  Refugees then were expected to be taken by train to the border with Austria.

The IsraAID Mobile Team that moved inland with the refugees has sought to provide “on-going humanitarian relief at strategic points of the journey,” including distributing supplies and safety mechanisms for the people moving to Zagreb, Croatia, from Serbia.

This past week, “IsraAID did a big purchase of supplies specifically for children, as it was clear, the children stuck at the border of Serbia/Hungary are in stressful situation,” a September 17 Facebook post reads: “In close coordination with other agencies on the ground, IsraAID took the lead on providing child-friendly spaces.”

Child-friendly spaces in disaster-relief practice give children a sense of normalcy amid the context of a fluid disaster-zone environment in order to lessen the trauma they experience.  The Israeli team provided “much needed refreshments for children clearly exhausted and struggling to cope with the elements”—with scorching sun and temperatures climbing into the mid-90s Fahrenheit.  

A refugee happily receives from IsraAID a baby sling that will make the flight to safety a little easier.  (Photo: IsraAID Facebook)

On Thursday, the team also intervened on behalf of 50-plus children that were hit by tear gas during a riot that broke out near a refugee camp where they were stationed.

“We met with a father carrying two young girls under the age of five.  Both his girls were hit during the confusion.  In this case, the family thought the border was opened and got caught in the mess,” IsraAID states.  “We helped to flush the eyes of children affected with water and carry them away from danger.  In all the confusion, the mother of the children was separated, causing more stress to the situation.”

The Israeli group has been providing more than 200 donated slings and baby carriers for parents who still have miles to walk, and have emphasized their need for these particular supplies on social media, telling Times of Israel, “The ball is rolling really fast.  We expect it to pick up even more speed.”

“Tonight on the border of Serbia-Hungary the IsraAID team saw just how critical a sling can be when you need to literally run to the border before it seals off,” the group wrote on Facebook.

According to University of Haifa Professor Arnon Soffer, the Chaiklin Chair in Geostrategy, “we are witnessing the beginning of a mass migration, such as the incursions of the peoples of the sea or the Huns.”  (Jewish Voice NY)

“It is not a short affair that will pass quickly,” Soffer said.