The Jewish Federations announced Thursday that they have raised and allocated the first $8 million of their initial $20 goal to help secure the Jewish community of Ukraine.
The funds were allocated to The Jewish Agency for Israel, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, World ORT, United Hatzalah, and Hillel International.
"Jewish Federations are working in lockstep with our partner organizations to ensure that critical aid gets through to Ukraine's Jewish community," said Jewish Federations President and CEO Eric Fingerhut. "We've been overwhelmed by the response from every corner of our system to step up, pitch in, and lead in the efforts to provide immediate relief and services to this community under siege."
Federations have placed a specific emphasis on providing immediate relief and direct services to vulnerable populations and maintaining basic service delivery, to the degree possible, including:
- Ensuring the secure evacuation of affected individuals from areas under immediate threat or where active hostilities are already taking place.
- Expediting the rapid Aliyah of those individuals or families who wish to move to Israel and facilitate their absorption on arrival.
- Safeguarding the security of Jewish communal facilities and Jewish individuals, whether in their home communities or temporary accommodations.
Funds are going toward sustaining displaced Jews not in camps/shelters with basic needs, such as food, medicine, appliances, and clothing, as well as increasing cash assistance to elderly and vulnerable families who are in financial turmoil as a result of Ukraine’s turbulent and uncertain economy.