18 | SEPTEMBER 1 • 2022 

OUR COMMUNITY
H

undreds of volunteers gathered at Temple 
Israel on Aug. 22 to pack individual first aid 
kits for the Ukrainian Army. The event was 
spearheaded by Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny and lay leaders. 
Temple Israel partnered with the Ukrainian-American 
Crisis Response Committee of Michigan to organize 
assembly line-style workstations to assemble the kits. 
Dr. Philip Arbit said when his wife, Francine Arbit, 
asked him to volunteer with her at Temple Israel to 
assemble packages for Ukraine, he expected to be 
putting together the kind of care packages you send to 
a loved one. 
The gravity of the situation in Ukraine and the 
importance of the packing event hit home when he 
saw that instead of candy bars the volunteers were 

Temple Israel volunteers pack 1,000 
first aid kits for the Ukrainian Army.

Critical 
 Help 
 Provided

STORY AND PHOTOS BY YEVGENIYA GAZMAN
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

LEFT: Francine and Phil Arbit. TOP: Cheryle Lutwin, Shay 
Chismody and Melanie Chismody. MIDDLE LEFT: Michael 
Seltzer abd George McMillan at the vented chest seal station. 
 
MIDDLE RIGHT: Zumrad Umanski and Tatyana Kapitonov. 
BOTTOM: Blake Belgeri, Anya Nona and Lilia Sachovska.

