The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is closely monitoring the war in Ukraine and is concerned for the safety of all Jews in the region. The entire country faces chaos, scarcity and potential violence, leaving the 200,000 members of Ukraine’s Jewish community especially vulnerable. 

For over a century, whenever and wherever there have been threats to Jewish life, the Jewish Federation and our partners have been there to provide vital aid and remove those in peril out of harm’s way.

For more than three decades, we have partnered with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Jewish Agency for Israel, World ORT and United Hatzalah, which provide humanitarian assistance and Jewish community-building programs to tens of thousands of Jews throughout the region. Our partners remain in Ukraine, working to ensure the well-being of the Jewish population there.

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Their efforts on the ground include:

• Working around the clock to provide uninterrupted humanitarian aid to 40,000 poor Jewish elderly and families, delivering food, medicine, winter relief and emergency assistance.
• Mobilizing a network of 6,900 volunteers to reach 51,000 beneficiaries in far-flung locations. This proactively formed network was critical for JDC’s COVID response as well as the 2014 Ukraine crisis.
• Equipping staff in four field offices (Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkov, and Odessa) with contingencies to ensure they can continue to reach those in need — especially the homebound — come what may.  
• Leveraging their vast presence on the ground to prepare for potential emerging needs, including people being displaced from their homes.
• Preparing to dispatch mobile medical units to get supplies where they are needed most.
• Bolstering security at Jewish institutions, including JCCs in Kharkov, Odessa, Dnipro, Kyiv, Zaporozhe and Lvov.
• Coordinating with local Jewish organizations and partners to ensure a united emergency response.

This kind of emergency response is part of our DNA — and we are staying in constant contact with our partners to keep abreast of the latest developments and local needs. It is thanks to your support of the Annual Campaign that this infrastructure is in place to protect and care for these hundreds of thousands of at-risk Jews. In these anxious days, you, quite literally, are a lifeline. 

Jewish Federations across North America have raised more than $24.5 million to support the communities in Ukraine. Your gift to the Jewish Federation’s Emergency Response Fund will immediately help meet the needs of Ukraine’s Jewish community:

• Aliyah and community security to protect those who leave or stay
• Maintaining critical welfare services for those we support day in and day out
• Assisting internally displaced people in multiple locations aiding Jewish in need in 1,000 locations across Ukraine
• Stockpiling for goods across more than 1,000 locations
• Launching an Aliyah helpline for those who need expedited support
• Securing temporary housing for people in transit, escaping the conflict zones
• Purchasing satellite phones to maintain communications across the region
• Securing five Jewish schools and training staff to manage crisis needs

We do this work in partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel, JDC, World ORT and United Hatzalah.

We will keep you updated as the situation evolves. We must remember that whenever and wherever one Jewish is threatened, we are all threatened. While we are vigilant in these troubling times, we join all of those who long for peace.