Russian invades Ukraine: Chief Rabbi backs emergency appeal for Jews as tensions escalate
World Jewish Relief says war would be disastrous for Ukraine's vulnerable and older people, including a generation of Holocaust survivors
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has backed an emergency appeal by World Jewish Relief launched on Wednesday to assist vulnerable people in Ukraine, as tensions continue to rise in the region.
The charity said the threat of war was now “very real” as over 150,000 Russian troops surround Ukraine on its borders and same have crossed into eastern regions of the country already held by pro-Russian separatists.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis said: “This is a time of deep concern for the Jewish community of Ukraine, and indeed every one of its citizens.
“The Talmud famously teaches that Kol Yisrael Areivim Ze Bazeh – ‘all Jewish people are responsible for one another’.
“In addition to having the Jews of Ukraine in our prayers, we must do whatever we can to offer them humanitarian support in their time of greatest need.”
WJR, which led the community’s efforts to support Syrian refugees and those fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan, said “for innocent civilians this could mean violence, mass displacement, the resurgence of past trauma, and basic food and fuel shortages.”
For the vulnerable and older people, including a generation of Holocaust survivors who have lived through decades of conflict and instability, the outbreak of war would be disastrous, it added.
The charity said it was in close contact with local partners in Ukraine to ensure they are responding to the most urgent needs, prioritising food, cash, medical, material and psychological support to their existing client group and be ready to assist those who are forced to flee their homes.
WJR chief executive Paul Anticoni said: ““I find it almost unimaginable that it has come to this. But World Jewish Relief’s modern operational history is rooted in the Jewish community of Ukraine.
“We have been with them all this way and will help them in whatever practical way possible as this crisis unfolds.”
You can donate to World Jewish Relief’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal at www.worldjewishrelief.org/ukrainecrisis.
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