(Jewish Group) With $73 million and counting, this organization backbone of Jewish aid for Ukraine

[Behind the Aegis]

With $73 million and counting, this organization is the backbone of the Jewish aid effort for Ukraine

Almost as soon as Russia’s bombs began falling in Ukraine, prompting millions of Ukrainians to flee the war zone, Jewish aid groups sprang into action.

Volunteers with the emergency medical services Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah dispatched teams to the area to set up emergency triage centers to treat the wounded, sick and elderly. Tikva Children’s Home, which in normal times cares for neglected, abandoned or abused children in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, began busing kids out of the war zone and into safety in neighboring Romania. The JCC of Krakow, Poland, where over 1 million Ukrainians fled after the outbreak of the war, served as a distribution point for food, medicine and clothing for Jewish and non-Jewish refugees alike.

These humanitarian groups were able to meet the sudden and dramatic surge in need for aid thanks to their partnerships with the Jewish Federations of North America, which since February has raised over $73 million for Ukraine-related needs. That leadership has made federations the backbone of the Jewish humanitarian effort — helping Ukrainians not just flee the fighting and find safe haven, but also figure out long-term solutions while their country remains at war.

These have included efforts to resettle refugees in Israel, Europe and the United States, provide refugee children with education and emotional respite, run training programs to help Ukrainian adults find housing and jobs while in exile, coordinate volunteer efforts both in Europe and the United States, and advocate for policies that help refugees find their footing in new communities.

In all, the Jewish Federations have channeled over $61 million so far to some 50 nongovernmental organizations worldwide, often through the Federations’ main overseas partners: the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and World ORT. 

more...