ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A Central Florida doctor has been hard at work collecting medical supplies and other necessities to send over to Israel as the war with Hamas continues.
“When everything happened with the terrible attack that started all of this and really just a huge blow to our people, I wanted to see what I could do to help like so many in the community,” said Orlando Emergency Room doctor, Tovah Ellman.
The supplies include gauze, syringes, over-the-counter items, clothing and other basic needs.
“Some of these things are some things your basic necessities, right,” Ellman said. “What you need day to day. And some of it is just absolutely lifesaving. Right? One supply can really make a huge difference in somebody’s life. And so knowing that and seeing just the mountains of these supplies and how many lives we might be impacting and saving is really amazing.”
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Ellman said with the help of doctors across the country and organizations from all over the world, they’ve been able to load up three trucks and get it transported.
After their third pick up on Tuesday, she estimates they will have sent close to 15,000 pounds in supplies to Israel.
“It’s definitely morphed into something I wasn’t expecting, but something tremendous,” Ellman said. “I’m just one spoke in the wheel. So there’s there are many groups that are all have all come together tremendously to to do this.”
Ellman has family in Israel, including cousins who are serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. She said this effort has helped her cope with the pain brought on by the war.
“This is our family,” Ellman said. “You know, obviously, they’re hurting. We’re hurting tremendously for them, with them. Just to be able to feel like we can help in some way and are doing something is, I think in some ways it’s made it easier for us. I mean, it’s it’s been busy days for sure, but it’s it’s filled with at least the purpose and feeling like I’m doing something to help how I can.”
It’s not just medical supplies they’re sending, Ellman’s five children along with their friends have been drawing pictures and sending letters to soldiers fighting in the war.
But Ellman isn’t just offering her support from America, she’s just been informed that she may be going to Israel herself to help treat patients.
“I’m hoping to get the passport finalized,” Ellman said. “But everything, I guess in this situation, it’s, they say, very fluid and that we were initially supposed to fly tonight, actually. And then because of the changing hostage situation, because of various things on the ground, they decided to push back that deployment by a few days. And so at this point, I expect that I’ll be going over early next week.”
Ellman is still collecting donations, if you’d like to contribute you can contact Yeshiva of Central Florida.
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