Jewish Federation Partner Organizations On The Ground
To serve the Jews of Ukraine, there is no larger presence than that of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), funding partners of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. Many other organizations, including the incredible and expansive work of Chabad and multiple schools sponsored by World ORT, are also there serving the Jewish community daily. Here is an update on some of these organizations’ activities.
Of course, this work is made possible because of your support of our annual campaign which provides the core funding year in and year out to these organizations to support the infrastructure that is ready on the ground and able to mobilize immediately to care for Ukrainians where they are and bring Ukrainian Jews to Israel for safety.
The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) has received some 5,000 requests to immigrate to Israel in recent days and believes that up to 10,000 Ukrainian immigrants could arrive in Israel in the near future, in what would only be the first wave of refugees headed to the Jewish state.
JAFI’s emergency hotline for Jews has so far received over 10,000 calls. Of those, almost 5,000 are interested in making aliyah. This number has already surpassed the number of olim from Ukraine in 2021. With the enormous volume of incoming calls, JAFI is constantly expanding the staff of the call center.
JAFI is now operating both within Ukraine and within Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Hungary – all neighboring countries – at five different crossings and have secured over 3,000 beds in transit facilities. The Agency reports that they are seeing a significant increase in the number of people seeking to reach the border, and together with their shlichim (emissaries) and rabbis from local communities, they are helping families and refugees escape through various and complex rescue/transportation channels. JAFI has sent dedicated teams from Israel to assist in operations along the border. Watch a video report here of a senior JAFI shaliach from Ukraine.
So far 700 Jews have arrived at aliyah processing centers run by JAFI in countries bordering Ukraine. The future olim are escorted from the border to temporary housing facilities where they receive their visas to Israel. From there they will be flown to Israel, where they will stay in hotels across the country for about a month. Afterwards, the immigrants will be transferred to permanent residences, located in communities throughout Israel.
The first two flights carrying over 200 olim, plus 100 orphans, arrived on Sunday. They were welcomed at Ben Gurion Airport by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other senior ministers.
There are currently 800-1000 young adults in Israel on special aliyah or immersive experience programs. JAFI is assisting them in locating their families and enabling them to get in touch.
The Jewish Agency has also joined a humanitarian operation, together with local Israeli municipal authorities, to mobilize the Israeli public, collecting donations for the entire refugee population from Ukraine, who are now located along border areas.
Separately, 150 community organizations across Ukraine identified by JAFI’s Security Assistance Fund will receive immediate assistance for protection. This budget will be used to implement security measures at Jewish organizations and institutions across the country, to prevent looting and other security breaches.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and local community partners in Poland, Hungary and Romania are working together to answer calls on JDC’s emergency Ukrainian hotline. In addition, local volunteers and staff at the border are distributing flyers and information, working the reception centers, answering calls for assistance, and reaching out to collect people as they cross. These teams work in shifts, offering hot soup, coffee, tea, information, and medical help for any refugee that is passing by. Short term hotel accommodation, transportation and meals for the Jewish refugees is also available.
In total, JDC has helped shelter approximately 1,500 Jewish refugees, and given other support to some 3,000-4,000 Jews, plus thousands more non-Jewish refugees. The assistance includes transit advice, food, and more. JDC has also evacuated more than 3,000 Jews together with Chabad, local Jewish communities in Ukraine, the Jewish Agency, and the Jewish communities of Romania, Poland, Moldova, and Hungary.
World ORT supports seven schools in Ukraine: in Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Belaya Tzerkov, Odessa, and Zaporozhe, and two in Kyiv. These schools educate more than 3,000 full-time students. ORT also runs KesherNet centers, which support unemployed women with job training, as well as an education center in Kyiv and a technology center in Dnipro.
As a result of the war, all ORT schools in Ukraine are currently closed and mobility is limited. As a result of 25 years of building schools and training centers in Ukraine, there are today more than 8,000 people who rely on ORT as part of their daily lives. Since the start of the conflict, these lives have of course been upended by rockets, sirens, and violence. The ORT School in neighboring Moldova is preparing to eventually accept ORT Ukraine refugees at their school and is helping with accommodations and essentials.
Tens of other Israeli and Jewish organizations are working to provide humanitarian relief for Ukraine. Here is a summary