Eight lorries carrying aid worth around 100 million forints (EUR 323,000) will leave next week to the Trans-Carpathian region and beyond the Carpathians, State Minister for Churches, National Minorities and Civil Affairs Miklós Soltész said at a Budapest press conference on Tuesday.
Mr. Soltész said the aid consists of medicines, medical equipment and long shelf-life food, half of which is going to the Trans-Carpathian region and the other half beyond the Carpathians.
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The ministry issued a request for aid in March and within 24 hours, five organizations responded – the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, the Caritas Hungarica, the Hungarian Red Cross, the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid and the Hungarian Baptist Aid – who were later joined by several other organizations such as the Unified Jewish Congregation of Hungary (EMIH), the Saint Lukács Greek-Catholic Aid and the Johannite Aid Service, Mr. Soltész said, adding that the cooperation was unique in Hungary both in size and scope.
He said that due to the “Ukrainian administrative background”, it was particularly difficult to arrange the shipment but the organizers wanted to be certain that the aid will be delivered where it was meant to.
Executive Rabbi of EMIH Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation Slomó Köves, said that they contributed to the shipment with 2,500 packs of medicine and 150 pieces of medical equipment. He said that he hoped that their joining the Charity Council was only the first of its kind, because it was important that EMIH contributes to the charity work both in the country and abroad.
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To the Jewish community, like for all other churches, it was “important to take their share from general social responsibilities and step outside their own circles”, Mr. Köves said.
(Ministry of Human Capacities)
