 Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has just begun to rebuild from the war with Russia that took place in August 2008. The Russian tanks and soldiers are gone. But the devastation remains. People here tell how they struggled to survive during the fighting. Many had nowhere else to go, so they simply hid in their basements in a panic.
Going to the basement was not an option for Nunu, an elderly Jewish woman who lives in the city of Gori. Nunu is paralyzed. She lives in a tiny, one-room apartment where a single bare bulb provides the only source of light. She spends her days and nights lying on her bed with her head turned to the wall.
The fighting may be over, but Nunu still faces great hardship - hardship made even worse because of the war. Her only financial help comes from her son, Beso, who tries to support her by selling odds and ends at the local market. But they remain desperately poor. Often, Nunu and her son cannot afford food. And there is no money for the medication or treatment Nunu so desperately needs. She has lost hope of a better life.
Fortunately for Nunu, The Fellowship has set up the Rabbi's Emergency Fund to support people in need of immediate aid in time of crisis - including the people of war-torn Georgia. The Fellowship's partner in the region, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), sent a representative to Nunu, and arranged for her to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel). In Israel, she will receive medical treatment for her various ailments. She can be with her daughter, who recently came to Israel, and with Beso, who is planning to make aliyah soon thereafter.
When Nunu heard that she would be able to come to her biblical homeland, her face lit up for the first time in years - now she has the promise of better life in Israel. Please continue your support of the Rabbi's Emergency Fund to give the gift of hope to the people of Georgia and others in crisis around the world. |
