Voice of the Jewish News 1: Helping us all to help the refugees

'These are dark and painful days for millions of Ukrainians, who weeks ago were going about their daily lives'

As we went to press on Wednesday night, Jewish News was set to co-host an online event with World Jewish Relief (WJR) for those wanting to provide support to Ukrainian refugees.

The event, entitled Hope & Homes, was to feature opening remarks by the Chief Rabbi and a panel comprising WJR chair Maurice Helfgott, Rachel Griffiths from Citizens UK and Sara Nathan from Refugees at Home.

In recent days, there has been a groundswell of practical support for those fleeing Putin’s war. Helfgott revealed this week that WJR has so far rescued 15,000 people from the conflict and confirmed more than 1,500 “principally but not exclusively from the Jewish community” had registered an interest through it in taking refugees into their homes in the UK.

Meanwhile, thanks to British humanitarian Sally Becker and the UK branch of Israel’s medical emergency service Magen David Adom, the largest airlift of child refugees from Ukraine so far – 52 youngsters aged two to 15 – landed at Heathrow yesterday.

These are dark and painful days for millions of people who weeks ago were going about their daily lives: shopping, socialising, commuting to work, taking children to school. Now their lives and their country lie in ruins.

How best to support them here in the UK remains a difficult and perplexing question for many who would like to lend a hand to families caught in the conflict.

We hope our online event with WJR, which is now available to view across our social media platforms, answers some of those crucial questions and inspires even more people to act.