Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov!

CCOC’s 97th Flight Arrives

flight97

It is with tremendous joy and heartfelt gratitude to Hashem that we announce the arrival of Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl’s (CCOC) 97th Rescue Flight on Thursday, April 19, 2012.

Flight 97 just touched down on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport, bringing 26 children to safety in Israel. It is significant that these 26 children arrived just days before the 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, which remains the worst nuclear accident in history.

While much of the world has forgotten these children, CCOC and you clearly understand the ongoing danger they continue to live in – and the preciousness of their lives.

Each of these children has a story of their own, whether they are orphans or have left parents behind, whether they have siblings or not, whether they are nine or fourteen years old. What they all have in common is the urgent need to escape the horror and danger of the nuclear contamination in which they have lived.

And the need to regain their health and well-being – and their childhood.

Together we have brought them to Israel.

And together we will care for each and every one of them, just as we have the thousands of children who have come before them.

Together we will ensure that they have the best medical care possible to address their Chernobyl-related illnesses and heal their bodies.

Together we will provide them with a loving home, nutritious food, a solid education, and the warmth and caring of our staff and teachers.

Together we will save their lives.

Together we will give them a future.

Thank you for all you have done to make this joyous day possible.

Thank you for your ongoing love and compassion for these children – and the others still waiting to be rescued – who need all of us so very much.