14 | FEBRUARY 13 • 2020
Jews in the D
continued from page 12
MASSIVE DELIVERY
The Greenbergs’
relief efforts
have extended beyond the
Jewish community, as well.
In a mammoth undertaking
Feb. 3, Shalom Greenberg orga-
nized the distribution of 10,000
medical-grade masks and disin-
fecting equipment throughout
Shanghai. Two thousand masks
came from Magen David Adom,
Israel’
s national EMS organi-
zation, which upon Chabad’
s
request, also sent 200 full-body
protection kits for those in con-
tact with affected individuals.
The Israeli non-governmen-
tal humanitarian aid agency
IsraAID, in partnership with
the Israel-China Chamber of
Commerce, Innonation (a plat-
form promoting Israel-Chinese
relationships) and David
Ashkenazi of ICCB-Capital,
also sent a shipment of medical
supplies.
Stored in the Shanghai Jewish
Refugee Museum, which honors
Jewish refugees who escaped
Nazi Germany during World
War II by fleeing to Shanghai,
the masks were distributed to
Jews and non-Jews alike.
“We are proud of those who
are working there,” said Schneor
Greenberg of Commerce. “They
are the Lubavitcher Rebbe’
s shlu-
chim (messengers) doing a vital
job of helping those in need.
On a personal note, we feel
indebted to help the Chinese
people because Estie’
s grand-
father, Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi Fox,
managed to escape to Shanghai
with thousands of Jews who
found refuge there during the
Holocaust.”
The rabbis’
hope is that the
masks will not only help prevent
disease but also protect seniors
from having to go out in the
cold weather. To ensure this,
a team of volunteers, largely
non-Jewish Chinese citizens,
delivered many of the masks
door-to-door.
“In China, it is required to
wear a face mask,” Avraham
said. “You are not allowed any-
where without one — not in
a taxi, not in a store. You can’
t
live there without them.” And,
he said, because each mask can
only be used for two to three
hours, individuals need more
than one.
Many Jews had left the
country before the outbreak
during the Chinese New Year
holiday and, because of the
virus, did not return after
vacation, according to Schneor
Greenberg.
AID FROM DETROIT
Away from Pudong, Avraham
and Nechamie Greenberg are
launching fundraising efforts
in Metro Detroit, where the
two went to school and where
Nechamie’
s parents live. They
are here with their nine chil-
dren, including Mendel, 15,
and Levi, 13, students at the
Lubavitch Cheder & Yeshiva,
International School for
Chabad Leadership in Oak
Park. One of Shalom’
s sons,
Mendel, 20, serves as a men-
tor at the yeshivah.
“We are raising funds to con-
tinue to be there for the Jewish
people of China,” Avraham
said. “We still need to pay the
rent and keep the Jewish cen-
ters going for when the people
come back.
“There is something special
about Chabad in China,” he
said. “In America, there are
already Jewish centers in place;
Chabad is an addition. In
China, there is nothing. We are
the infrastructure of Jewish life.
We are the address if someone
has a bar mitzvah or a bris, or
to take care of a body when
someone dies, to plan a seder,
everything.”
When the family left
Shanghai, the streets were
deserted, Avraham said. No
cars were on the road. A
40-floor hotel was completely
empty. Most people had closed
their houses and evacuated.
“There is no lockdown, but
people minimize their time out;
they go mostly to buy food,
” he
said. Because Chabad is the local
supplier of kosher food, Shalom
has a storage area with con-
tainers that include meat from
Uruguay and matzah and wine
from Israel.
Like Schneor, Avraham is
concerned for Shalom but says
he is careful about where he goes
and about following health pro-
tocol, including frequent hand
washing. Despite dire warnings
from health officials, Shalom says
he will remain in Shanghai as
long as he does not feel he is in
extreme danger.
GOING BACK HOME
The family is enjoying the
extended visit to Detroit,
but Avraham and Nechamie
look forward to serving
their Shanghai community
again. They already are reach-
ing out.
“We continue to support
them from here,
” Nechamie said.
“They are in lots of different
cities and countries, but we are
planning a Torah study class
online, and a group of women
who run our Hebrew school
want to continue online studies
for our students.
”
All of Schneor, Shalom and
Avraham’
s 14 Israeli-born sib-
lings also are Chabad emissaries,
serving communities in the U.S.,
Israel, China, Ukraine, France
and Germany.
“Especially in times of need,
we all need to look around and
see how we could help the people
around us,
” Shalom Greenberg
said. “It could be helping one
person at a time or on a larger
scale, but we must ask ourselves
this question again and again,
and then we act on it.
”
To help provide supplies and support
to China’
s Jewish communities, go to
chabadchinanews.org/donate.
Coronavirus
Explained
The coronavirus has been
identified in 24 countries,
including 11 cases in the
United States.
The World Health
Organization describes coro-
naviruses as a large family of
viruses common in species
of animals that can infect
humans and then spread
to others. Common signs of
infection include respiratory
symptoms, fever, cough, short-
ness of breath and breathing
difficulties. In more severe
cases, infection can cause
pneumonia, severe acute
respiratory syndrome, kidney
failure and death.
Standard recommendations
to prevent infection include
regular hand washing, cov-
ering the mouth and nose
when coughing and sneezing,
thoroughly cooking meat and
eggs, and avoiding contact
with anyone showing symp-
toms of respiratory illness.
“We are proud of those working
there. They are the Lubavitcher
Rebbe’s (messengers) doing a vital
job of helping those in need.”
— RABBI SCHNEOR GREENBERG