Toys and tea drive for Israel charities in honour of Watford mother of three
Friends and family of Melodie Robey, who died from sepsis last year, send care packages to Save A Child's Heart and the Hostage and Missing Families Forum in Tel Aviv
An Israeli humanitarian organisation and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Tel Aviv are receiving care packages in memory of a Hertfordshire mother of three who died from sepsis last year.
47-year old Melodie Robey from Carpenders Park died suddenly on October 5th, leaving behind three young children. The Hamas terror attacks took place two days later and Mel’s surviving brother Daniel, sister in law Michele and long-standing friends determined to undertake good works in Israel in her memory.
Ahead of what would have been her 48th birthday, two huge bags of brand new toys, games, puzzles and stickers were flown over by a supporter and handed over to cardiac healthcare organisation Save A Child’s Heart (SACH) in Tel Aviv.
Laura Kafif, housemother at the SACH home in Holon which supports 37 children said: “We were thrilled to receive the gift bags filled with new puzzles, toys and arts and crafts items for the children!
“These items are used daily by the children and constantly need replenishing. I want to extend our profound gratitude to all the people who made this happen. Thank you all for your contributions and support.”
Sister in law Michele Robey told Jewish News: “It meant the world to us as a family in honour of our beloved Mel to be able to organise donations to the children. If we could do anything good to help such a wonderful organisation, then it goes a small way to showing our solidarity for Israel and just giving thanks to everything that the hospital does for the children.”
Also due to be flown out are three huge bags filled with tea, biscuits, chocolate and hot chocolate for the families of the 101 remaining hostages via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK in Tel Aviv, as well as several bags of Mel’s clothes for families displaced since the October 7th atrocities.
Nicknamed Operation #Tea4TelAviv, Michele Robey and Jewish News’ Michelle Rosenberg, also a close friend of Mel, donated their kitchen tables over the course of three weeks to collect the hundreds of donated goods.
Michele Robey adds: “”Israel had a very special place in Mel’s heart. With the terror attacks taking place a mere two days after she tragically passed away, it seemed to make so much sense to donate her clothing to the families who have had their lives impacted and destroyed. It felt really purposeful and meaningful and I’m sure it would have meant the world to her and made her proud.”
Mel’s friend Jackie Forster told Jewish News: “Not being able to celebrate Mel’s birthday and still navigating my way through the loss of my dearest friend is incredibly challenging. So when Mich and Mish came up with this initiative to donate to Save a Child’s Heart it seemed fitting to be able to support. This was a way to mark an incredibly difficult day by supporting Israel, which was such a huge part of Mel’s beliefs and so close to her heart.”
Mel’s friend Zoe Podensky added: “I wanted to donate to these causes in memory of my amazing friend Mel, a truly wonderful person who so many of us think of and miss every single day.
“Israel held a special place in Mel’s heart, and in her name, I wanted to show the people of Israel, and especially the families of the hostages, that they are not alone and they are not forgotten.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
