Sixteen Days to Donate

by Li Qing

When Raz Gal Or was waiting for his flight to Tel Aviv at Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of Spring Festival， both the 26-year-old Israeli entrepreneur and his traveling companion Brian OShea were struck by the number of people wearing masks in the airport. Having been preoccupied with their own business， they were unaware that an epidemic was spreading from Wuhan， Hubei Province in central China.

Several days later， they collected 229 boxes of medical supplies in Israel in just 24 hours and shipped them to Huanggang in eastern Hubei on February 9， 2020.

The entire 384-hour process of making the donation was recorded in the book China， We Got Your Back published in Chinese and English by New Star Press， a Beijing-based publishing house under China International Publishing Group. The book， the first to be published on the fight against the novel coronavirus， also shines light on the extensive and generous assistance to Hubei as well as cooperation between young Israeli and Chinese entrepreneurs.

Assistance from Israel

After arriving in Tel Aviv， both Raz Gal Or and his friend Brian OShea from Argentina became intensely concerned about the situation in China. The spike of infected patients in Wuhan and reported shortage of medical supplies made them decide to collect surgical masks for Chinese hospitals in need.

“My dad always reminded me that the Chinese have helped Jewish people considerably throughout history，”revealed Gal Or. “Finally， I have a chance to repay the kindness.”

Jokingly referring to himself as “Foreigner in China 2.0，” Raz Gal Or became a famous internet star in China.

The first-born of a successful Israeli entrepreneur with business in China， Raz Gal Or has lived in Beijing for over 12 years. In 2014， he became the first Israeli undergraduate student to attend Peking University.

Gal Or co-founded YChina， also known as the Foreigner Research Institute， a business development company focusing on the Chinese market. He started uploading videos sharing the thoughts of the younger generation of foreigners in China in January 2017， and eventually YChina had attracted millions of subscribers.

On January 25， after arriving in Tel Aviv， Gal Or and OShea visited pharmacies across the city to buy face masks but found only a couple thousand in stock， far from their goal. They turned to Gal Ors father for help.

Raz Gal Ors father， Amir Gal Or， is a well-connected businessman and president of the Israel Chamber of Commerce in China. In 2017， Amir Gal Or won the Friendship Award， the highest award the Chinese government grants to foreigners for their outstanding contributions to Chinas development.

“China helped Israeli people many times in history， especially during World War II，” Amir Gal Or stressed. “China is all about mutual help， so it was natural to do everything we could. There is no question about that， and it should be done again， again and again.”

He invited his son to speak at a meeting of the chamber in Tel Aviv attended by several officials from medical institutions.

The younger Gal Ors donation proposal received enthusiastic support at the meeting.

“Face masks， medical equipment， everything that will help， we will send it，” proclaimed Professor Roni Gamzo， CEO of Tel Aviv Medical Hospital.

“We remember how China helped Israelis in times of crisis，”said chamber member Tslil Klainman. “And we really want to be there now for China.”

Sheba Medical Center， one of the top 10 medical centers in Israel， donated 30，000 masks by itself and helped secure more by connecting the group with a supplier.

The duo then went to Kodan Medicam， a medical supplier in Jerusalem serving only major hospitals and the army， which donated 50，000 medical gloves.

Cooperation between Young Generations

Within 24 hours， the two young men had collected over 100，000 surgical face masks and 7，000 protective suits along with 50，000 medical gloves.

“In this more and more interconnected and globalized world， everybody should be concerned not only about what is happening locally， but also about what is happening in the distance，” Raz Gal Or said.

But the sense of achievement was short-lived because new challenges emerged. How would they send 229 boxes with a total weight of more than a ton to China？

According to a new policy announced by the Chinese government， foreign donations can be shipped directly to recipient hospitals. So the group began combing through available online information to determine which hospital needed supplies the most. Finally， they chose one in Huanggang， a city in eastern Hubei Province.

The team then contacted Cainiao， a global parcel tracking platform operated by Alibaba Group， to handle logistics. But their progress slowed again. Following the World Health Organizations January 30 announcement that the epidemic was a public health emergency of international concern， many countries dramatically reduced or canceled flights to China.

Eventually， Cainiao located an Israeli shipping company that was willing to provide free shipping. After all the necessary documentation was done， the boxes finally set sail from Tel Aviv on February 1. The shipment stopped in Moscow before arriving in the city of Guangzhou in southern China four days later. The hospital received the supplies on February 9.

“It seemed like the whole world was against us， but we ultimately managed to get it done，” Gal Or gasped in relief. “Hang there， guys！ We are behind you.”

A Unique Memory

Although their holiday trip turned into something else， the two friends captured the unique memories with their camera. They posted videos on social media and video-sharing websites and won tremendous appreciation from the internet.

New Star Press was seeking heartwarming stories related to the epidemic. Ding Ning， a senior planner with the publishing house， wanted tales of people working together for a common goal， putting race and other differences aside. Gal Ors project provided proof that an individual could make a big difference if staying committed.

“Faith is very important for people fighting the virus because it helps overcome every difficulty，”said Ding.

When she approached YChina with the book proposal， they hesitated at first because they never had any intentions of profiting off the gesture by selling books. But Ding insisted that she wasnt seeking money either. The aim was to provide readers a warm feeling during the crisis and pay tribute to the deep friendship between Israelis and Chinese.

China， We Got Your Back also showcases the sense of responsibility and strength of millennials， who shoulder the responsibility of building a better world as they begin taking on bigger roles in the world.

New Star Press had Chinese and English versions ready to go to press in only eight days. A Hebrew edition of the book is in the works thanks to the help of several Israeli publishing houses.

“We plan to donate the profits from the book to a scholarship fund for medical students in Hubei，”Ding reported. “This is our way of assisting the fight against the epidemic.”