[etni] Fw: DONATED SCHOOL BOOKS BEING HELD BY ISRAELI CUSTOMS

From: "David Lloyd" <david@xxxxxxxx>
To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:07:35 +0200

Hello all,

Below is a message from Susan Heckler, from "The Jade Bar Shalom Books for 
Israel Project", requesting contact information of anyone who could possibly 
help them sort out the duty problem they are having in bringing donated 
books into the country.

I am turning to you in the hope that someone may know of a person who can 
help.

If you do know of someone, please send me this information - 
avid@xxxxxxxx  - or send it directly to Susan - SusanHecklerB4I@xxxxxxx

Thanks,

David


----- Original Message ----- 
From: SusanHecklerB4I@xxxxxxx
To: DAVID@xxxxxxxx
Subject: DONATED SCHOOL BOOKS BEING HELD BY ISRAELI CUSTOMS

Hello
I am hoping you will be able to help me with a pressing issue.  Our 
organization organized collections of gently used, English reading books 
that have been donated to the students in Israel.  This began six years ago 
and some 71 tons of books are in the hands of children now because of 
efforts.

The US Postal Service tripled the postage rate in May 2007, making it very 
difficult to ship books to Israel.  We have begun putting our shipments in 
containers with the personal items of people moving to Israel with Nefesh 
B'Nefesh.

The books have always come in to Israel free of duty. They are used and 
donated and are not for resale.  They have no commercial value.  We have one 
shipment of 9 boxes of books sent by Fedex being held up for duty that is 
destined for a school in Lehavim.  We have a second shipment in Ashdod at 
the pier since January 29 for a school in Ashdod.  Several more larger 
shipments (30 or 40 boxes) are set to be shipped to the school at Kibbutz 
Maagen Michael and Kibbutz Kfar Silver.

At $45 per box duty, the boxes will be abandoned at the pier and our entire 
operation will be shut down.  We do not raise funds as our goal has been to 
organize the book collections and match them to a school.  The shipper has 
always paid postage.  We cannot ask them to pay $3/lb postage and then the 
duty on top of that.

Is there anyone in Israel that you can introduce me to that can help sort 
out this duty problem once and for all?  The Israeli school children have 
benefited from the thousands of books we have sent to them.  If we shut down 
this totally volunteer organization, the kids will suffer.


Susan Heckler
The Jade Bar Shalom Books for Israel Project
Associate International Coordinator
Manalapan, NJ
please sign the petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/zikomo/petition.html
check out our website http://booksforisrael.wikispaces.com/


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[etni] Fw: DONATED SCHOOL BOOKS BEING HELD BY ISRAELI CUSTOMS

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