Strength and unity
On February 24, 2022, life divided for us and our entire country into before and after. In the first days of the war, we were bewildered and uncertain, not knowing how long it would last or how it would end. But we understood that thousands of people around us needed help. That’s why we couldn’t stand aside. The strength of the Ukrainian people, who resolutely opposed the invaders from the very beginning of the war and did everything possible to protect their homeland, inspired us to do good deeds, giving us courage and determination.
All people in Ukraine are in danger. The enemy does not care who we are – Ukrainians or Jews, it is important for him to destroy us and enslave us. The Jewish people, for their long history, know well what this is and what it leads to. Therefore, in such a difficult time for our country, when the enemy outnumbered us several times, we decided that our strength lies in unity, and this is the basis for our struggle, stability and courage. The Jewish people were never afraid of their enemies and always boldly looked fear in the face. And this time was no exception for us. Therefore, from the very beginning of the war, we, without thinking, made a decision to be united with the people of Ukraine and to do everything possible to help not only the Jewish population, but also all those who suffered from military actions in our country.
On February 28, 2022, with the support of the Joint (JDC), we sent the first evacuation bus to the front-line cities, evacuating children, women, and the elderly abroad, saving them from the horrors of war. Subsequently, more evacuation buses were dispatched, and from March to August, we managed to evacuate over 3000 individuals.
The Almighty gave us strength and did everything to help us. People began to gather around us who also wanted to help: some volunteers, without thinking of their own lives, went to hotspots and assisted people, evacuating them to safer cities; others opened hubs in these cities, providing refugees with temporary shelter, food, and care; still, others distributed food packages to those who had lost their jobs and means of subsistence. Everyone around us tried to do as much as possible to help their fellow human beings. We decided to support the initiative of such volunteers and help people who had become internally displaced. The first thing we did was to take responsibility for a number of shelters for refugees in Dnipro,
providing them with food, hygiene products, diapers for infants, and other necessary items.
We even set up such a shelter in our own center, accommodating up to 30 people.
Over the course of a year, we have grown into a large volunteer hub, providing support and assistance to tens of thousands of people. With the help of our center, evacuations were conducted, and food, hygiene products, diapers, baby food, medicine, and other essential supplies were provided. We also organized hot meals in Dnipro and Kharkiv, feeding up to 600 people a day.
We opened field kitchens in liberated areas where there was no electricity, gas, or water. We purchased expensive medications for children’s hospitals and helped and continue to help refugees with housing expenses and individual issues. This is just a partial list of our good deeds. It is now even difficult to remember and count how many people we have provided assistance to.
All of this became possible thanks to three main components:
- Our dedicated team
- Volunteers and hundreds of caring people from around the world who supported us
- Our main partners: the JDC organization and friends from JCC Global, Jewish community centers in New York, Boston, Palo Alto, and many other organizations and private individuals, whose support enabled us to help over 50,000 people
The leaders of these organizations and ordinary people supported us every day. They were the soul and heart with us, helping us financially and enabling us here in Dnipro to assist people and save lives.
As of February 24, 2022, the doors of our center have been open every day. We were able to not only develop a new direction of activities but also fulfill our main mission: to create a family-oriented, comfortable, unique, and reliable Jewish home for everyone who remained in the city and for those who came here fleeing from the war.
Directions of our help
Help
Evacuation of the population
In 2022, we were able to evacuate more than 3,000 people
Help
Assistance in purchasing microbuses for evacuating
people from hotspots
In 2022, we were able to help purchase two minibuses for volunteers to evacuate people from hot spots. One of them is for the evacuation of the elderly and bedridden patients
Help
Organizing the distribution of food packages to refugees and internally displaced people
In partnership with volunteer organizations, we were able to distribute more than 30,000 food kits. This assistance continues even now, more than 300 people receive such assistance every month
Help
Support in providing hot meals to refugees and internally displaced people
Together with our partners, we were able to organize the preparation and distribution of hot lunches for all those in need in the cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv. More than 50,000 people received such assistance in 2022
Help
Organizing and supporting places of residence for refugees and internally displaced people
At the beginning of the war, we organized a place for refugees to live in our center, and also helped organize 2 similar places in the city of Dnipro
Help
Humanitarian aid
During the period of 2022, thanks to our partners, we were able to organize and deliver more than 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid
Help
Supporting the organization of field kitchens in liberated areas without electricity, gas, and water
Together with our partners, we participated in the organization of field kitchens in the newly liberated territories. In these places, due to the lack of electricity, gas and water supply, it was very difficult for people to prepare food for themselves
Help
Assistance to children with disabilities
One of our main missions during the war was to support children and, in particular, children with disabilities affected by military actions in our country. We regularly support organizations that help such children
Help
Support for orphaned children
In a separate direction, we provided assistance to children who became orphans due to military operations in Ukraine. We try to support these children on a regular basis with food kits, toys, diapers, etc
Help
Assistance to people affected by the explosion of
the Kakhovska HPP (hydroelectric power plant)
After the tragedy that happened in the Kherson region, we were able to send more than 6,000 tons of water, food, hygiene products and much more to the affected areas. Plus, our volunteers helped evacuate people from flooded areas
Help
Assistance to children’s medical facilities
During the hostilities, we repeatedly helped medical institutions with the purchase of expensive drugs for children with serious diseases
Help
Psychological support
Thanks to our partners, we managed to open a psychological support center in Dnipro, which provides free psychological assistance to people with post-traumatic syndrome
"We are different: each with our own views and experiences, but by coming together, we complement each other and become better."
Our center helps those in need every day and organizes events aimed at the development of
Jewish culture. We kindly ask you to contribute to help our center continue its work in its usual mode.
Do you want to help, or do you know someone who needs assistance?
