Charlotte, North Carolina Local News
‘A kind soul’ | Charlotte chef commemorates aid worker killed in Gaza
[ad_1]
Chef Ernie Adler says he worked with Damian Soból while they both volunteered for World Central Kitchen near the Ukrainian border in 2022.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After an Israeli strike killed seven aid workers in Gaza on Monday, a Charlotte chef is commemorating one of the victims he worked with.
“You could tell he was a kind soul,” Chef Ernie Adler said. “He was sacrificing whatever was going on in his daily life as a volunteer to then go and cook and transport all this food.”
Adler worked with Damian Soból when they volunteered with World Central Kitchen in Poland in 2022. Their mission was to feed refugees near the Ukrainian border.
World Central Kitchen says seven of its team members, including Soból, were killed by the IDF strike while “traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.”
Adler is devastated by the loss of all seven lives and called the tragedy, “disheartening.”
“It’s just an incredible community but when you lose one of your own, it’s like losing a relative,” Adler said. “It’s just a kick in the face.”
Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced the results of a preliminary investigation, according to the Associated Press,
“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification — at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.” He gave no further details. He said an independent body would complete a “thorough investigation” in the coming days.
RELATED: Bodies of World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli strikes are transported out of Gaza
The tragedy showcases the dangers of being an aid worker. Yet Adler said, many volunteers do it without hesitation.
“There will always be people like that in this world and we need more,” Adler added.
WCK helps feed people after tragedies all over the world. Adler hopes people will commemorate the seven lives lost by stepping in to help. The organization accepts volunteers and monetary donations on its website.
[ad_2]
