Yad B'Yad, a Chabad-Lubavitch organization dedicated to assisting poverty-stricken families in Israel with badly needed school supplies, inaugurated a new campaign to ensure that every child in the country would have a backpack in time for the beginning of the next school year. The campaign's Monday kickoff occurred at the official Jerusalem residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres.

The organization, whose name translates to "hand in hand," will be working with local municipalities and schools to distribute some 50,000 backpacks stocked with pens, pads and other basic school supplies.

At the event, Rabbi Yaakov Gloiberman, director of Yad B'yad, presented a tallit and tallit bag to Peres, who reminisced about his personal encounters with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory. Isaac Herzog, Minister of Welfare and Social Services; Ilan Harari, mayor of Lod; and Reuven Ben-Shachar, mayor of Givatayim, also attended.

"It is our responsibility to assist needy families," said Peres. "I will do my utmost."