An Israeli soldier has expressed his appreciation to the Great Neck community after a fundraiser launched by Everfresh Supermarket raised more than $16,000 for Israeli troops and citizens.
“Thank you Great Neck, you are a great community,” an unidentified Israeli soldier says in a Youtube video uploaded by the supermarket last Wednesday. “And thank you very much specifically Everfresh Supermarket. We love you.”
Everfresh Supermarket in Great Neck launched a campaign two weeks ago to raise money for Israeli citizens and members of the Israeli military who have been involved in the ongoing military conflict with members of Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007.
“Join Everfresh in supporting the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and the residents of the rocket-stricken communities in the south,” the supermarket said in a flyer e-mailed to its customers. “Your generous contribution will provide care packages and clothing to soldiers and civilians and show them that our community is behind them 100%.”
The donations will be distributed by the Orthodox Union Israel Emergency Fund to benefit citizens of Sderot, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Beit Shemesh and Ofakim, according to the supermarket’s flyer. Funds will also be distributed by the Yshar LaChayal, an Israeli charity that seeks to support the Israeli Defense Force.
The Israeli soldier in Everfresh’s Youtube video said “thank you for all the things.”
“These are things very heartfelt and we thank a lot,” he said.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas began after the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by men in the West Bank who Israel alleges belong to Hamas, followed by the kidnapping and murder of a Palestinian teenager, reportedly by an anti-Arab group of Israelis.
The Everfresh fundraising campaign launched two weeks after an employee was fired for allegedly saying that “Israel is not our country” to a customer.
The worker allegedly made the comments after Great Neck resident Nahid Akins asked them to change the music to Israeli music, to honor those in Israel during the recent attacks on the country by Hamas.
The employee was fired the next day, supermarket owner Abraham Banda said in an e-mail to customers after the incident.
