Tel Aviv – Jair Revivo, Mayor of Central City of Lod, said Israelis had donated about 500,000 dollars for a pair of 4-year-old twins from the city who were orphaned after their mother died due to the Covid-19 disease.
“We have a moral obligation to take care of them as much as possible,’’ Revivo, the mayor of the city of 82,000 residents and the initiator of the fundraising campaign, told dpa on Wednesday.
Revivo said he started the campaign online after 49-year-old Tamar Perez-Levi died on Tuesday after being infected by the coronavirus.
The fundraising goal of 1.8 million shekels (506,250 dollars) was reached within a day, he said.
The twins father had died shortly after their birth due to a heart attack, according to media reports.
Perez-Levi is thus far the youngest victim of Israel’s coronavirus crisis, which has killed 21.
Perez-Levi’s sister-in-law thanked everyone from the bottom of her heart and said that their donations would not be taken for granted.
“The Israeli people have proved that they are united even in difficult times.
“ It is moving to see how much the public is willing to support the orphans who have lost their father and mother,’’ said Revivo.
A spokesman for the city confirmed that the money would be placed in a foundation to ensure it would be only for the twins.
More than 5,500 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Israel, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.
(dpa/ NAN)
