Hannu and Harri’s Trip to Romania (4-7 Nov 2022)

EEG device

Early Friday morning, November 4th, 2022, I met my wife Anita and Hannu Ylitalo in Budapest. After breakfast we drove to Romania in a van from HELP and HOPE. We arrived in Satu Mare just before noon. The former president of the Jewish community, Decsei Nicolae, welcomed us with his team in front of one of the city center hotels. We then drove to our first destination, the Children’s Hospital Medical Center Domus Providentiae Kft. Tallian Krisztian-Frencin gave us a warm welcome there. HELP and HOPE, represented by Hannu Ylitalo, donated an EEG device that will be of great help in the children’s hospital. The previous device was old and in poor condition.

After the handover, we said goodbye to these friends and continued to the town of Rădăuți. There we met Igo Kofler, the leader of the local Jewish community. We brought Hanukkah gifts made by Anne Ylitalo and two Finnish friends – Leena and Anne. The gifts were packed in fabric bags: warm slippers, chocolate and all sorts of necessities for the recipients.

Hanukkah gifts

After saying goodbye to Igo Kofler, our journey continued towards the Ukrainian border. After hours of driving across the Carpathians, we stayed in a cozy guest house in the mountains.

After breakfast we continued our journey on the winding mountain road towards Suceava. We planned to spend the night near the border crossing on the Romanian-Ukrainian border. We stayed at a local hotel.

Hannu had phoned the Ukrainian recipients of the relief supplies and the plan changed slightly as a result. So, after the morning routines, we drove to our Ukrainian friends, especially to Tetyana (Tanja) Berezhna, the head of the New Family Center. After a short drive we went to the agreed meeting point, where besides Tetyana there were also her chauffeur and three other Swiss assistants. After a short briefing, we headed to the parking lot, where we transferred groceries, detergent, toiletries, clothes, shoes, and mattresses from our van to the Ukrainian’s.

After saying goodbye to these friends, we started the long return journey, which took us more than 8 hours during the day. After arriving near the city of Oradea, we stayed in a small hotel.

On the last morning of the trip we drove to Oradea to meet Felix Koppelmann, the president of the Jewish community. For Hannu he was an old acquaintance with whom he has been working for many years, but I met him for the first time. Mr. Koppelmann is a very warm and friendly person. After introductory words, we presented our concerns: We asked permission to show a kibbutz exhibition on the premises of the Jewish community – maybe even in the synagogue? The exhibition illustrates the history of the settlement of the Land of Israel back to the 1880s.
The exhibition material had already been brought to Oradea from Bucharest in a wooden transport box. The negotiations took place in the synagogue’s dining room, where we met President Koppelmann and Rabbi Dr. S. G. Ehrenfeldt, who was visiting Oradea from Jerusalem. He had been the rabbi of Debrecen in eastern Hungary until his retirement.

After several hours of discussion, it was agreed that the kibbutz exhibition should take place in the large synagogue next door. The cultural attache of the Orthodox Community agreed to take on responsibility for the exhibition. This exhibition, owned by FIDA International, will be held in Oradea in the near future.

A little later that Monday afternoon, we met Nicu Gal, CEO of People to People, in his office. Thanks to his efforts, the crate for the kibbutz exhibition and the paintings had been temporarily moved to the premises of the local Baptist church. Nicu promised to get in touch with the cultural attache of the Orthodox Community and deliver the pictures.

In the early afternoon we finally left for Budapest, where my friend Hannu Ylitalo continued his journey to Vienna after a short break.

This was my second trip to Romania with Hannu this year. There were many kilometers to cover, but the journey was smooth and in a happy atmosphere. Crossing the Carpathians is a great experience every time. It is breathtaking to experience the beautiful landscapes and the large differences in altitude.

Looking at these landscapes, the words of the psalmist come to mind: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains: From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” (Ps 121,1-2)

Admiring the mountains, the psalmist mentions the true Advocate, who is the Lord of Israel.
I think this psalm fits well with the purpose of the trip – to help the needy and less fortunate ones in Ukraine and Romania.
I bless them all!

Harri Kröger