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By Robert Sorrell

Star correspondent

About one month since Hurricane Helene swept through the region, representatives from the country of Israel and the state of Georgia visited Elizabethton on Wednesday with aid and support.

Anat Sultan-Dadon, Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States, and her team from Atlanta, Georgia, stopped by Elizabethton Church of Christ to drop off truckloads of supplies and make a few remarks about their visit.

“Now we have the privilege of being here with our friends here in eastern Tennessee to convey our support, and it’s important for me to convey Israel’s support,” Sultan-Dadon said.

Sultan-Dadon has served as the Consul General of Israel to the region since 2019. She is responsible for advancing the bilateral relations between Israel and seven southeastern states, including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.

The Consul General said she and Israel stand with “our American friends in your time of need just like America and our American friends have been standing with Israel and continue to stand with Israel.”

The goal of the visit was to support those affected by Helene in late September.

“We support you and want to provide a little bit of aid to our friends,” Helene said.

Sultan-Dadon came to Elizabethton with several members of the Georgia General Assembly, including Rep. Brent Cox, Rep. Rick Jasperse and Rep. Lauren McDonald.

Cox said the Georgia General Assembly stands with its neighbors, including Tennessee.

“We are here to bring as much support and aid as we can, to show that we stand with you all,” Cox said.

Tennessee State Rep. John Holsclaw Jr. of Elizabethton helped organize the stop in Carter County and welcomed the group from Georgia.

One day earlier, the group visited western North Carolina, which was also devastated by the hurricane. At the visit, Sultan-Dadon said she had been amazed at the resilience she had seen in the mountains.

“I think that is something Israelis have in common with the strength of people here,” she said.

In early October, the group visited North Augusta, South Carolina to show solidarity with residents in that city. There, she called the U.S. “Israel’s most important ally in the world.”

At each of the stops, Sultan-Dadon and the group of visitors supplied everything from diapers to generators, items needed by those affected by the hurricane.

The Elizabethton Church of Christ is being used as a disaster relief distribution center for area residents affected by the storm. Minister Todd Houston said the church has been blessed to serve as a collection and distribution center.

“It’s a privilege to be a servant,” Houston said.