JERUSALEM, Jan. 5 (JTA) — Israel has issued a postal stamp honoring the work of Chabad-Lubavitch with Jewish children at risk as a result of radiation stemming from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Communications Minister Limor Livnat unveiled the stamp at a Knesset ceremony Dec. 30, honoring Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl project. Livnat said the government was issuing the commemorative stamp to honor the organization for its “unique contribution to aiding Jewish children who are at extreme risk because of the radiation released from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.” She noted that it was unusual for the postal authority to give such recognition to a private, non-government organization. The stamp depicts children debarking from one of the 32 flights Chabad has brought to Israel, for a total of 1,527 children. In Israel, the children live in Kfar Chabad. The project is the only relief effort to permanently evacuate children from the area. Since 1990, more than 1,000 families have moved to Israel as a result of the Chabad program.
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