In light of unfolding events in the Crimea region of Ukraine, JDC has activated emergency plans aimed at helping the neediest within the Jewish community of the ethnically-mixed peninsula. Today Crimea is home to an estimated 17,000 Jews, mostly located in and around the main urban centers of Simferopol, Sevastopol, Feodosia, and Yalta.JDC has: stepped up delivery of food and medicine to the homes of its elderly and poor clients living in and around the central cities and towns of the territory; beefed up security at its three Hesed social welfare and community centers; activated an emergency phone chain to track needs of clients round-the-clock; prepared appropriate contingency plans in case the situation worsens. JDC is also particularly focused on the need to relieve pressure on Jewish pensioners whose monthly stipends may be suspended because of worsening financial crisis Ukraine-wide. JDC’s overall emergency response in Ukraine during the crisis has included: mobile units delivering food, medicine and other critical supplies; JDC staff and local Jewish community volunteers risking their lives to deliver food packages to homebound elderly; homecare workers spending nights in the homes of their most frail clients; special operating hours to ensure 24-hour care; and emergency call chains and stepped up security at JDC facilities in cities and towns around Ukraine. JDC has a long history of working with Crimean Jews that dates back nearly to the group’s founding 100 years ago. Agro-Joint, established in 1924, created Jewish agricultural colonies and industrial schools in Ukraine and Crimea. Learn more here:http://archives.jdc.org/exhibits/beyond-relief/
JDC Mobilizes Crimea Response
Humanitarian group beefs up security, stocks up on supplies in troubled southern territory
For Immediate Release
March 1, 2014
New York, NY,,
About JDC
JDC — the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee or “The Joint” — is the leading Jewish humanitarian organization, working in 70 countries to lift lives and strengthen communities. We rescue Jews in danger, provide aid to vulnerable Jews, develop innovative solutions to Israel’s most complex social challenges, cultivate a Jewish future, and lead the Jewish community’s response to crises. For over 100 years, our work has put the timeless Jewish value of mutual responsibility into action, making JDC essential to the survival of millions of people and the advancement of Jewish life across the globe.
For more information, please visit www.JDC.org.