We are watching the news from the Ukraine with cautious optimism but also with worry. We marvel at the heroism of the Ukrainians and their president Zelensky. We go to bed at night and wonder, “Will Kyiv still be free in the morning?”
The wider consequences are being played out on the world stage right now. We appear to be living in a new reality. We do not know where it will lead us. We pray for courage, strength, and wisdom for our leaders; and for peace for all peoples.
I wanted to bring to your attention two opportunities to send resources to the needy on the ground.
The JUF has joined other federations in a major campaign to come to the aid of the 200,000 Jews in the Ukraine, including providing food, medicine, and emergency supplies to the elderly (including 10,000 Holocaust survivors); and to help Jewish Ukrainian refugees who have fled the invasion. The JUF has already sent $2 million. Please join this Chicago wide effort by donating to the JUF Ukraine Relief Fund.
Our partners at IsraAID have also set up an emergency response team in Moldova, near the border of the Ukraine, just 35 miles from Odessa. With temperatures below freezing the refugees are in need of our help now. The emergency relief team is setting up mother and baby safe corners, providing mental health support, distributing urgent relief items, while continuing to assess the ongoing and growing needs of the crisis.
