Itongadol.- The Jewish Canadian philanthropist Yank Barry — dubbed the Jewish Schindler — surpassed his goal last week of rescuing 1,200 Middle Eastern refugees from war-torn and repressive countries, repatriating them to Bulgaria.
His aim was to replicate the number of Jews (1,200) Oskar Schindler, a non-Jewish German businessman, saved during the Holocaust.
Barry, who previously told The Jerusalem Post that he does not compare himself to Schindler, stressed the significance of the number of reaching 1,218 saved refugees.
“Eighteen in Hebrew means life, that is life to 1,218 people,” Barry said at a news conference in Sofia. The refugees are from Iran, Syria and Iraq.
“Nobody else has done this much to help Bulgaria in this crisis; we can’t be thankful enough,” said Nikolay Chirpanliev, president of the State Agency for Refugees in Bulgaria.
Barry gained international fame as the lead singer of The Kingsmen, which produced the pop culture classic Louie, Louie.
Barry is the co-founder of not-for-profit Global Village Champions Foundation, which helps refugees fleeing oppression.
“[Barry and GVCF] have focused their efforts in aiding those who need help the most: Sick people, families with lots of kids, those traumatized by war and lost relatives,” Chirpanliev said .
In addition, his philanthropic work furnishes children with toys, language classes and training opportunities for adults.
Barry’s organization provides the daily meals for more than 5,000 refugees in five Bulgarian camps.
His Global Village Champions Foundation works with the help of donors and notable figures such as Muhammad Ali, singer Gary “US” Bonds and Evander Holyfield. The NGO has provided almost a billion meals to hungry people across the globe.