Emily Maitlis urges public to help save lives in Ukraine during Jewish aid briefing

Emily Maitlis has urged the public to help save lives in Ukraine after hosting an emergency briefing in which the head of World Jewish Relief warned that the strain on vulnerable residents had reached “breaking point”.

More than 250 people joined the online event on Monday evening, where World Jewish Relief chief executive Paul Anticoni OBE spoke from a hotel basement in Kharkiv after air raid sirens sounded.

The former BBC Newsnight presenter and co-host of The News Agents podcast heard how elderly residents are struggling to keep warm as snow begins to fall, while children have spent years without a normal education.

“It is unbelievable, the stress and the strain. It is at breaking point,” Anticoni told viewers. “It makes me feel when I’m here, we’ve got to redouble our efforts.”

He described meeting an elderly man whose windows had been shattered by bombing for the second time.

His flat was cold and without heating, but despite the danger and difficult conditions, he was determined to remain in his home.

World Jewish Relief is helping vulnerable residents pay heating bills, repair damaged properties and obtain essential supplies through its Ukrainian partners.

Anticoni warned that the longer the war continued, the greater the need for assistance would become, particularly as international attention shifted elsewhere.

“For as long as this conflict goes on, needs will increase, attention will wane, eyes will focus elsewhere, and Ukrainians will be left to their own devices… and that will be tragic.”

Speaking exclusively to Jewish News ahead of the event, Anticoni warned that the world had already lost interest in Ukraine.

“I don’t think they’re beginning to forget. They’ve forgotten,” he said.

The briefing also heard from Ekaterina Mitaev, World Jewish Relief’s head of livelihoods and impact, who described how the war had disrupted children’s education.

“We have children who have kind of never been to school,” she said.

“I feel that we are actually bringing that kind of love of learning back to children.”

The charity is providing safe places for children to study and spend time with others, alongside programmes helping adults find employment.

Closing the briefing, Maitlis appealed directly to viewers to support the charity’s work.

“The urgency of Paul and (Ekaterina’s) words is coming through loud and clear. If you do feel able to help, you can save lives across Ukraine by donating.”

World Jewish Relief has worked in Ukraine for more than 30 years and has supported over 400,000 people across almost 400 towns and cities since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The charity provides emergency assistance and longer-term support to both Jewish and non-Jewish communities.

Watch the full briefing here.

Support World Jewish Relief’s Ukraine appeal here.