Tens of thousands

of vulnerable Jews received lifesaving emergency assistance

Shabbat for Ukrainian Jews

If you missed the opportunity to light your Shabbat candles with Ukrainian Jews on Feb. 24, you can still download our toolkit, released in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).

UKRAINE RESPONSE

Support the most vulnerable now.

Our Efforts

For those in Ukraine, we are:

  • Providing the most vulnerable Jews with vital necessities like food and medicine as well as trauma support. This includes thousands of people who are internally displaced and those who have returned after initially fleeing the country.
  • Deploying winter survival initiative, providing portable heaters and cooking stoves; sleeping bags that can withstand subzero temps; rechargeable flashlights, and nonperishable foods, warm blankets and fleece-lined clothing; wood and coal, and subsidies for higher utility bills to Jews remaining in Ukraine.
  • Addressing the needs of Ukraine’s “new poor,” resulting from skyrocketing inflation and diminished employment opportunity.
  • Supporting the Jewish community and providing connection through continued programming and volunteer work.
  • Engaging our volunteers, staff, and network of Hesed social welfare centers to assist with evolving needs while continuing to operate care and community services including the provision of food, medicine, and homecare throughout the country.
  • Operating emergency hotlines in collaboration with local Jewish communities in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, Moldova, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia.

Emergency Hotlines

“It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I hid in this basement in 1941, and now I’m here again. It feels like I’m dreaming — like I’m having a nightmare.”

Natalia Berezhnaya, 88

JDC client

For refugees in neighboring countries, we are:

  • Supporting vital needs as European Jewish communities absorb those who have fled Ukraine, including food, medicine, and accommodation, alongside workforce opportunities and refugee integration into local Jewish institutions and programs.
  • Staffing key border crossings along with European community partners and volunteers to embrace, inform, and assist refugees arriving in Poland, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania, while also working to coordinate shelter and home hospitality.
  • Delivering nonsectarian humanitarian aid to people impacted by the crisis, in partnership with Jewish communities across the region.

For those looking to evacuate, our efforts include:

  • Executing and coordinating evacuations across Ukraine, including arranging transport and safe accommodations inside Ukraine and beyond.
  • Arranging special medical transport for those elderly Jews who are unable to make the journey using standard vehicles.

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Ukraine Emergency: Voices from the Ground

More Videos

“A Great Responsibility”: Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine

Oksana: One Refugee Mother’s Story

“Coming Home”: Klementyna’s Story

“When you are cowering from the booms and flinching at the sound of breaking glass, you need to focus on something that is so pure and so good that it outshines the darkness of conflict and fear.”

Elena Proskurnja

Director of Hesed Michael
Social welfare center

Zaporizhia, Ukraine

Ukraine’s vibrant Jewish community is one of the largest in the world, home to an estimated 200,000 Jews prior to the current crisis. JDC has been serving an estimated 46,000+ Jews and their families through our network of care services, Jewish community programs, and Jewish leaders.

In addition to Ukraine, JDC continues to work across the former Soviet Union addressing the humanitarian needs of tens of thousands of vulnerable Jews and building Jewish life. For more than three decades, we have done this nonpolitical work across 11 countries, from Moldova to Russia, Georgia to Belarus, and nations across the Caucuses and Central Asia.

Your gift today will be a lifeline to Ukraine’s most vulnerable Jews. Give today!

Ukraine’s Jews still need your help

Start your own fundraiser today>>

Volunteer Internationally

As the conflict in Ukraine unfolds, JDC remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance and lifesaving support inside Ukraine and to all those seeking safety in bordering countries.
As we continue to identify emerging needs on the ground and determine the most effective ways to plan long-term aid, we are in the process of building a volunteering system in order to match those who are interested in being deployed to the countries surrounding Ukraine with the needs on the ground.

Please fill out the form if you would like to be considered for a volunteer placement. Once we are able to provide matches, we will be in touch with you directly.

If you have any additional questions, please see our FAQ Page. If you would like to be in touch directly, please use one of the following email addresses based on your country of residence:

For citizens of Israel, Europe, or the Former Soviet Union: volunteers_crisis2022@jdc.org.

For citizens of the United States and Canada: ukrainevolunteer@jdc.org.