2022 Impact – Special Section: Ukraine | The Jewish Agency - U.S.

UKRAINE CRISIS

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, we have provided critical on-the-ground rescue operations and support for Jewish refugees

UKRAINE CRISIS

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, we have provided critical on-the-ground rescue operations and support for Jewish refugees

In the weeks leading up to the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the international community was made aware of the likelihood of a potential conflict, The Jewish Agency was already taking action. So when the Russian army launched its attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, we immediately mobilized critical on-the-ground rescue operations and support.

 

For decades, we have had a significant presence in Ukraine to serve its Jewish population of nearly 200,000, sending Shlichim (Israeli emissaries) to serve local Jewish communities and employing regional staff to help those interested through the Aliyah process. Before the war began, with support from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we moved our Shlichim out of the most dangerous zones. We also opened Aliyah hotlines in multiple languages to offer guidance, in collaboration with The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), receiving tens of thousands of calls within the first week. And our leadership convened to plan further protocols should things escalate.

 

Once bombs started falling on Ukrainian cities, causing panic, destruction, displacement and loss of life, we quickly organized 450+ buses to get citizens out of places under fire, with many of our employees risking their own lives to save Ukrainian Jews.

 

Jewish Agency staff help an elderly Ukrainian woman at the border

Jewish Agency staff at Ukraine’s border crossings assist an older refugee arriving from the war zone | Photo: Maxim Dinshtein for The Jewish Agency for Israel

 

We opened Aliyah centers in six countries bordering Ukraine, taking over hotels and other facilities to provide beds, meals, counseling and more to thousands of Jewish refugees arriving after long, dangerous journeys, many with little to no belongings. And to protect Jews choosing to stay in Ukraine and Jewish institutions at risk, we distributed more than $500,000 in emergency Security Assistance Fund grants to 95 organizations.

 

Shmuel Shpack, The Jewish Agency’s senior emissary to Ukraine and Moldova, who was on the ground helping coordinate rescue efforts in the crisis zone, said: “I’ve seen things I never thought I would see in my life—it’s like World War II, people waiting in lines for two days just to cross the border.”

 

See our operations on the ground, rescuing Ukrainian Jews:

(Figures updated February 2023)

When these Ukrainians got to our centers, for those who wished, we arranged flights to Israel, and accommodations and assistance upon their arrival to help them start new lives in the Jewish State, launching the Aliyah Express program to expedite the Aliyah approval process.

 

“In the midst of the war, we’re truly saving a life every minute. I’m proud of our volunteers, staff, and Israeli emissaries who have risked their lives and worked around the clock to save their brothers and sisters,” shared our CEO and Director General Amira Ahronoviz during her visit to our operations in Warsaw and Budapest in early March 2022.

 

Ukraine-Poland transit center

Refugees charge their phones at the Ukraine-Poland border Aliyah center

 

Boxes from the Torenu campaign

Donation of supplies through the Torenu campaign

With so many refugees at our centers needing us to supply them with everything from blankets to coats to toiletries and beyond, we organized the ‘Torenu’ (Our Turn) campaign with the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel to collect basic necessities. In total, 23,000 boxes—equivalent to 354 tons—of supplies were distributed to refugees being housed at our centers.

 

“I took my children without socks or anything else; we are here only with the clothes on our backs and documents. That’s all,” said Natalia, who drove with her husband and two kids for 20 hours without stopping from Kyiv to Lviv, just after the war began. In Lviv, they boarded a Jewish Agency bus to Warsaw where they were then housed at a Jewish Agency Aliyah center before immigrating to Israel with our assistance.

 

The efforts of our staff during this crisis have been truly extraordinary. As was the incredible support shown by the Jewish people around the world, and other major Jewish organizations and our partners. Thanks to the generosity of the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, Christian Friends of Israel, and many private donors and foundations around the world, by the end of 2022, more than $60 million had been raised to support our rescue and Aliyah operations of Jews affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.

 

Andri on the ground helping Jewish Agency efforts

Volunteers on the ground at Ukraine’s borders

With so many Israelis and members of world Jewry wanting to help and show solidarity, we organized a volunteer hub with the Jewish Federations of North America, JDC and IsraAid to coordinate involvement at our centers. Over 450 volunteers gave their time and skills—as well as their blood, sweat and tears—to aid refugees. We also welcomed multiple delegations of Jewish Agency and Federations leaders to our centers to see our activities firsthand.

 

Hear from Jewish Agency volunteers about their experiences:

“We must never forget how we met this moment in history. The American Jewish community and the Israeli government and different Jewish organizations—every one of them worked together with a single-minded devotion to the goal of saving lives,” reflected Dan Elbaum, The Jewish Agency’s Head of North America, on his visit to the Poland-Ukraine border accompanying a JFNA mission in March.

 

In 2022, with our assistance, a record-breaking 59,870 olim (immigrants) came to Israel from Ukraine and Russia, more than five times as many as in 2021. And with the war persisting into 2023, we continue to facilitate the Aliyah and absorption of thousands of Jews fleeing the region, and are committed to ensuring their safety and meeting their needs during this unimaginable crisis. Our work is not over and we are committed to supporting our Jewish brothers and sisters affected by the ongoing conflict for as long as necessary.

 

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