Ukraine Refugees In Israel Look At Clothing Donated By American Jews, Have Pity On American Jews

“This is how they dress? They need help more than we do. Is anyone taking up a collection?”

Nes Harim, July 21 – Jews who fled to the Jewish State over the last several months following Putin’s invasion voiced sympathy this week for their brethren across the Atlantic who sent garments and other perceived necessities for the fleeing Jews, with the latter interpreting the sorry state of the gifts as an indication of the dire economic situation facing the givers, who appear to have nothing to contribute except castoffs, damaged hand-me-downs, and items that went out of fashion during the first Bush administration.

Refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine who found safe haven in Israel have sifted through several tons of clothing that American Jews decided the refugees need, with the chief characteristic of the donated items “I have no idea what to do with this thing my family no longer needs but maybe someone who can’t afford to be picky will get more use out of this perfectly-serviceable-but-somewhat-stained button-down dress shirt,” according to observers. In effect, however, the intended recipients see the donations as beneath human dignity as it forces them to question their assumptions of American wealth and comfort.

“Those poor Americans,” remarked one refugee, holding up a polo shirt with a visible grease mark on the belly and two loose buttons. “This is how they dress? They need help more than we do. Is anyone taking up a collection?”

“It’s so moving,” gushed a mother who fled with her four children and only the clothes on their backs. “These people have nothing, judging from what they were able to cobble together for our sake. It’s an act of charity to accept it, to acknowledge something from people who obviously can’t afford the basics but insist on giving anyway.”

Experts note that whereas the first large wave of immigrants from the erstwhile Soviet Union the late 1980’s and early 1990’s – which brought more than a million new immigrants to Israel – welcomed such donations, today the country’s independent absorptive capacity has improved by several orders of magnitude, while the mentality of American Jewry, who see themselves always on the giving end, has scarcely shifted, resulting in the present incongruity.

“American Jews feel good when they find someone to take an extra piece of luggage stuffed with castoffs. It makes them feel good to be doing something,” explained psychologist Batya Goodwill. “Especially since it costs them nothing and declutters the house. I’m no religion expert, but it’s been my impression that Jewish culture stresses the act of giving as a positive when it involves actual sacrifice, and not when it’s maybe half-a-rung higher, effort-wise, than retweeting someone or signing an online petition.”

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