In response to the plight of refugee children in Kosovo, who with their families have been driven from their homes and face a harsh winter fight for survival in barren mountainous areas, Temple Isaiah of Great Neck has launched a drive to collect shoes and warm socks that will be transported to the Balkans with the help of the International Rescue Committee, Americares, Sole Providers and other organizations.

The coordinator of the drive is Dr. Susan Bendor, a social worker and professor, who is chairperson of Temple Isaiah's Social Action Committee. During World War II, Dr. Bendor was a "hidden child" in Budapest. She says that she can never forget that two very caring people risked their own lives so that she might live.

"The children of Kosovo," Dr. Bendor said, "are the world's latest victims of brutal aggression carried out by the Serbian armed forces under President Slobodan Milosevic. In the face of massacres and destruction of Kosovan villages, many refugee families fled with few possessions into nearby mountains. Many children do not have shoes and socks and can become victims of frostbite, gangrene and other life-threatening dangers in the months ahead. And, the snows have already begun falling.

"Although we live in the comfort of our homes in America thousands of miles away, we cannot ignore the plight of the children of Kosovo. I am reminded that when Albert Einstein founded the International Rescue Committee, he wanted it to serve refugee people everywhere so that what happened to Jewish refugees in the Holocaust would not happen again."

Rabbi Bonnie Steiberg said that donations of sturdy children's boots and shoes are desperately needed now in Kosovo. She asks that donors keep in mind that the shoes and boots can be gently worn, meaning that they should be out-grown not out-worn. In other words, it must be remembered that the shoes must last through the winter. Socks, too, she said, should be warm or heavy, new or in good condition. The Rabbi added that all shoes and boots should be paired and laces tied.

Harold Klein, a spokesman for Temple Isaiah requested that all donations be made by Oct. 29. The shoes, socks and boots, he said, should be brought to the Temple, a guest congregation that meets in the Community Church of Great Neck, located at the corner of Bond Street and Stoner Avenue. Further information can be obtained from the Temple's office at 487-5373.