DUGO DONORS HMD trekking

The Israeli embassy and London’s largest food redistribution charity have donated 500 falafel meals to the homeless to honour Holocaust survivor David ‘Dugo’ Leitner.

In its third annual “Operation Dugo” event, the embassy sent a team to volunteer at The Felix Project in Park Royal, Brent. ‘Dugo Day’ has become a huge movement centred around social action and giving food to the hungry.

David Leitner, aged 14 and nicknamed ‘Dugo’, was forced with 60,000 other Jews by the Nazis in January 1945 to leave AuschwitzBirkenau and walk for three days through snow.

Underfed, exhausted and freezing, Leitner said it was dreaming of his mother’s cooking, especially bilkalach (bread rolls from his home in Hungary), that got him through the ordeal.

After “stocking up on challah”, Levy left home in Hale at 4am on Sunday, having decided to undertake the five-day challenge only a few weeks ago.

He aims to complete his trek on Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow at Yad Vashem’s UK o ces in north-west London, after which he’ll enjoy a well-earned train journey back home.

He told Jewish News: “I’m doing this to honour the memory of those who su ered during the Holocaust. The walk will be a challenging but meaningful way to show support and raise awareness for its victims.”

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