A truck packed with Pesach provisions donated by the British community is on its way to Odessa to help Jews in the war-besieged city celebrate the festival. The 22-ton vehicle left Mill Hill United Synagogue on Monday morning bound for Ukraine.

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Helpers carrying boxes of donations to the Odessa-bound truck

Hundreds of donors from across the community responded to the GIFT (Give It Forward Today) Odessa Emergency Pesach appeal for kosher for Passover foods and disposables. The supplies were due to arrive by the end of this week.

Sandor Milun, managing director of GIFT, told the JC he was contacted a fortnight ago by Chabad’s Rabbi Avraham Wolff, Director of the Odessa’s Jewish Community Centre.

Rabbi Wolff explained that hundreds of Odessa’s observant Jews would be without kosher for Pesach supplies.

Items collected included tuna, matzah crackers and ground almonds. Several food distributors donated pallets of goods and a kosher supermarket allowed donors to order goods to be delivered directly to Mill Hill.

Mr Milun said: “It was an incredible coming together of the community.”