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UJCVP Shabbat Message: One Year Later

Today marks the one year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.  

One year ago, while bombs were flying overhead in one part of the world, Jewish leaders nearly 5,000 miles away began advocating and raising tens of millions of dollars to support the Ukrainian community.  

But we didn't spring into action the day the war broke out in Ukraine. With robust infrastructure in the region built over decades before the war, the UJCVP, other Jewish Federations across the country and our international partners mobilized immediately to meet emergency needs from day one of the conflict and continue to respond daily. It's moments like this that remind us of the importance of the day-in and day-out work of our system.

The early roots of our system can be found in this week's Torah reading as the Israelites are tasked with building a dwelling place for God in the desert. Moses responds by launching the first fundraising campaign in Jewish history. What is truly remarkable, is that the Torah makes it clear that every single person contributed - men, women and children. So eager was the nation to participate in the project that just two days after the public appeal was initiated, the builders found themselves oversupplied with the requisite materials and had to beg people to stop. This collective effort to address needs and challenges has been carried with us ever since. To this day, by cultivating our generosity and orienting our hearts to the needs of others, we become builders of holiness in this world.  

To date, the UJCVP and Federations across the country have collectively raised $85 million to support those in harm's way in Ukraine.  

Over the last year, you have helped:

  • 43,000+ Jews in Ukraine receive life-saving services and winter survival aid, including subsidies for heat, as well as wood and coal.
  • 40,000 Ukrainian refugees flee to neighboring countries by supplying food, medicine, shelter, and guidance in partnership with European Jewish communities.
  • 52,500+ Jewish community members from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia make Aliyah (immigrate to Israel)
  • 80,000+ individuals urgently evacuate from danger zones, including through the organization of nearly 500 buses to bring individuals to the Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, and Moldovan borders.

You - our Jewish community - are the reason we are able to support so many, so quickly in moments like this. Your donation to the Ukraine Emergency Fund and your ongoing support of the UJCVP's Annual Campaign has saved lives and ensures that we can continue providing essential services.  

It's moments like this that remind us why we are here. 

Below is a Shabbat toolkit that we can use to mark this anniversary and turn our thoughts and prayers to the people of Ukraine.   

Shabbat Shalom, 

Eric Maurer
Executive Director
​​​​​​​emaurer@ujcvp.org 

 

 

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the conflict in Ukraine, JDC has created this Shabbat toolkit, released in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), to infuse your Shabbat experience — from candle-lighting to singing Shalom Aleichem — with the needs of those vulnerable Jews severely impacted by this ongoing crisis. 

Download the Shabbat toolkit HERE