Ukraine Update from Steve Miller, 2022 JUF Annual Campaign Chair

We are all deeply concerned as we follow the news in Ukraine, where political instability threatens to deteriorate into a full-scale Russian invasion. The entire country faces chaos, scarcity and potential violence–and the 200,000 members of Ukraine’s Jewish community are especially vulnerable.

JUF has advanced $1 million in emergency funds to our primary partners on the ground–the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), and World ORT–as they swiftly shift into emergency mode. ( Learn more about JUF’s partners on the ground .)

Right now–thanks to your support–JUF’s partners on the ground are:

1. 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.

2. Mobilizing a network of 6,900 volunteers to reach 51,000 beneficiaries in far-flung locations. This network was critical for JDC’s COVID response as well as the 2014 Ukraine crisis.

3. 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.

4. Leveraging their vast presence on the ground to prepare for potential emerging needs–including people being displaced from their homes.

5. Preparing to dispatch mobile medical units to get supplies where they are needed most.

6. Bolstering security at Jewish institutions, including JCCs in Kharkov, Odessa, Dnipro, Kyiv, Zaporozhe, and Lvov.

7. Coordinating with local Jewish organizations and partners to ensure a united emergency response.

This kind of emergency response is part of our DNA–and JUF is 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 JUF 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.

If you’d like to support our continued response by making your gift to the 2022 JUF Annual Campaign, we would be very grateful.

Donate Here

Thank you for making this lifesaving work possible. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves.