In a story that will go down in the annals of Chaverim history, a collaborative effort between Chaverim of Rockland and Chaverim of Montreal brought power on Pesach to thousands of elderly, infirm, and newborn residents of Montreal after a devastating storm.
The unbelievable adventure unfolded on the second night of Pesach, when Chaverim of Rockland received an urgent call from Chaverim of Montreal. A severe storm had torn through their city on Erev Pesach, knocking out power to tens of thousands.
Nearly everyone assumed that power would be restored after several hours at most, but as a full day passed with thousands of homes still without electricity, the situation started to quickly become untenable as temperatures dipped to approximately 25 degrees.
Barely a handful of homes occupied by frum residents had been spared the outage and, compounding the issue, multiple shuls were in the dark too and conditions outdoors were treacherous, with dozens of trees falling and massive, deadly icicles dropping from those that remained upright.
The Montreal members explained that there were now many residents for whom having no heat posed an immediate threat to their lives. However, there were simply no generators available anywhere and there was only so much that Hatzolah of Montreal could do to move people to warming shelters and the few homes that had heat.
After consulting with rabbanim including Skver Dayan Harav Yochanan Wosner shlit”a, Montreal Chaverim was now reaching out to Rockland Chaverim for help.
After urgent consultations with its own rabbanim, Chaverim of Rockland sprang into action.
In middle of their sedarim, Rockland Chaverim members got up and began loading a truck with dozens of generators, heaters, electrical cords and gas tanks to send to their desperate brethren up in Canada.
Two non-Jewish members of its Shabbos patrol then trekked up to a halfway point past Albany. There, the truck was handed over to Chaverim of Montreal members, who brought the much needed supplies to their hometown.
Thanks to the magnificent act of chesed on the part of both Rockland and Montreal Chaverim, every person in need of warmth was provided it.
Mi k’amcha yisroel, indeed.
[ALL PHOTOS & VIDEOS WERE TAKEN BY NON-JEWS]
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
7 Responses
How nice!
About falling icicles: wear a hard hat if there is a danger.
Two non-Jewish members of its Shabbos patrol then trekked up I am mystified:- Why not 2 Israeli members?
We should not keep on using the Phrase, “Mi Ke’amcho”, every time we do some kind of a good deed focused towards people of our own ethnicity.
During the Holocaust many Goyim literally risked their life only in order to save a life of people who are not part of their ethnicity. Those Goyim could not even get their picture posted on all websites.
מי כעמך ישראל!!
AND BIG SHOUT OUT TO MEMBERS OF CENTRAL JERSEY CHAVEIRIM WHO WERE HEAVILY INVOLVED.
#142 & #47 & S3
@ Ader Imagine that scenario reversed: an observant jew would be forbidden to save a goyishe life/lives if it risks (or at the cost of) his. Mi K’amcha indeed.