jerusalem | In an unprecedented campaign, Kolel Chabad, Israel’s largest social welfare organization for the needy, is distributing 25,000 Rosh Hashanah care packages to families before Rosh Hashanah celebrations.

The majority of the packages will go to families in northern Israel recovering from the recent war.  

The 25,000 recipient families represent a significant increase on the 14,000 packages that were sent in 2005. This year the assistance will reach more than 120,000 individuals.

Each package is composed of two boxes of non-perishable goods including basic food items and toiletries, one box of fresh vegetables and one box containing four chickens for use during the High Holy Days.  

Kolel Chabad is the oldest continuously operating charity of its kind in Israel. It was founded in 1788 by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. Today the organization operates as an umbrella philanthropy group supporting a network of soup kitchens, day care centers, dental and medical clinics, camp scholarships, senior centers, interest-free loans, immigrant absorption programs, and other social welfare projects throughout Israel.