LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A local man is doing what he can to help put a smile on Israeli children's faces during this time.
I sat down with Roy Shetrit and he tells me the impact he is hoping to achieve, one toy box at a time.
Shetrit shares with me how his cousin and her husband were killed in Israel, leaving behind two 10-month-old babies that were rescued nearly a day later by their uncle.
"They were sitting in this shelter room for about 14 hours. And when she heard some fire, she went to get them, you know, the bottle of formula and she got shot and killed. And the husband tried to protect the kids, too. So he went outside of the shelter room and he got murdered as well."
The thought of children having to be in shelters for hours, having to see horrors of war is what motivated him to do something so many miles away.
Shetrit has collected thousands of shoe boxes filled with toys, coloring books, and games. He says it is a small gesture that he hopes makes a child's day.
"We have to remember they got to sit quiet, very quiet in those shelter rooms for hours, days and maybe months."
Shetrit says families spend days in these shelters, sometimes dozens crammed into spaces smaller than an average walk in closet, with low oxygen levels and often without light.
"It's very difficult to keep kids calm in those claustrophobic areas for an hour. Just imagine days and days they have to be quiet because somebody can break in. And it's really it's really, really difficult. People are very scared."
Shetrit says during this time of need, he hopes the Las Vegas community will help answer the call to action. He says thousands of boxes will be shipped out to Israel on Wednesday.
"This is really not about politics. This is about kids helping kids. That's what it is. That's what it is. Those kids are badly, badly affected. Badly affected."
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