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Euroasian Jewish News
The Caucasus, August 9-13, 2008, Chronicle. EAJC Participation in Humanitarian Projects.
13.08.2008
August 13. For several days Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) and Federal Jewish National Cultural Autonomy (FENKA, Executive Director Eugenia Mikhaleva) has been gathering information on the Jewish and other refugees of the military conflict in South Ossetia.
According to different data, there were approximately 12 or 20 Jewish families and their siblings in South Ossetia before military actions broke out. They all dwelled in Tskhinvali. Chairman of the Vladikavkaz Jewish community Mark Petrushansky states that at present the fate of only 5 of them is known as they are refugees in Vladikavkaz. EAJC is planning to question the refugees on August 14 and give them material assistance through the local community.
The town of Gori suffered the bombardments and shelling since August 9, there is much destruction (approximately 10-15% of residential properties are damaged) and victims among the civilians.
Before the hostilities started in Gori there were about 80 Jewish (Sephardi and Ashkenazi) families (excluding mixed ones) and about 120 people were registered by Hesed.
August 11. A mass evacuation of Gori population (including Jewish) started. As of 08/11/2008, about 150-200 Jews have left Gori. Many of them drove their own cars. The others used transport (taxi and microbuses) supplied by the Chairman on the Jewish community of Gori and the Sohnut coordinator Beso Manasherov.
At the same day the Joint social programs coordinator Anzor Shaoshvili, Joint database coordinator Alexander Volovik, and the Gori "Hesed Shalom" director Dato Moshiashvili left for Gori. To the disaster area, they brought grocery packages of nine items (bread, butter, fish tins, sugar, condensed milk, tea, vegetables, chocolate paste).
August 12. The second plane with grocery supplies left the Tbilisi office of the Joint. The flight brought the director of Joint of Georgia Sergo Vlasov, the office manager of the Tbilisi office of Joint Irakly Ghiorghadze. That plane took five more people from Gori, who were repatriated to Israel the same day.
Altogether 39 people from Gori and other Georgian towns were repatriated to Israel on August 12. The repatriation was carried by Sohnut, "Nativ" and the Israeli Embassy to Georgia, head of the "Native" Naomi Ben-Ami, Ronen Rafael, David Benish, Mikhail Barkan, the Sohnut CIS department leader Alex Katz and the Sohnut leader in Georgia Gregory Brodsky. EAJC General Council member Elena Berkovich also worked at the assembly point on the territory of the Israeli Embassy to Georgia. Three planes (one of them scheduled) with Israeli tourists and repatriates left Georgia on August 12. Some of them sent only children.
7 repatriates are to be sent tomorrow and 8 on Sunday.
August 13. EAJC General Council member Elena Berkovich visited the republican hospital where a wounded member of a family of Jewish refugees from Gori is located. N. Putkaradze was heavily wounded in the kidney area during the aircraft attack. During the first surgery one his kidney was removed, and now the second surgery is being prepared.
As of August 13, 20-25 members of the Jewish community are still left in Gori. About 120-130 people are in Tbilisi, 35 of them are located. They all suffer material losses, many of them have no documents, and they have no dwelling. Part of them live temporarily with their relatives, the others are placed in the yeshiva "Tiferet Tsvi" and hotels. The Embassy of Israel to Georgia reports that about 50 people have filed for repatriation.
Council for National Security of Georgia Secretary Alexander Lomay reported that altogether there are 16 thousand refugees in Georgia.
The Big Synagogue of Tbilisi houses an announcement of EAJC material and organizational support to the Gori refugees.
A meeting with the already located refugees is planned for August 14. EAJC representatives will question them to specify their needs and provide assistance. The other victims are being researched.
EAJC President Alexander Machkevitch and EAJC Vice-President Edward Shifrin have had an urgent meeting and ordered to open a credit line to finance EAJC humanitarian activities of assistance for Jewish refugees of the military conflict zone. Refugees of other nationalities will get assistance, too, specifically the Ossetians of the South Ossetia. Assistance will be provided mainly through the EAJC representatives in Vladikavkaz and Tbilisi. Coordination is commissioned to EAJC General Council Chairman Joseph Zissels.
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