The War in Ukraine – The Latest Jewish News

The War in Ukraine – The Latest Jewish News 

Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Federation Executive Director, Community Relations/Government Affairs, to share her thoughts. 

As Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, the global stakes continue to be high, and the fate of the Ukrainian Jewish community is uncertain. But what is abundantly clear is that the Jewish world - locally, nationally, and in Israel - is responding with unprecedented levels of humanitarian aid and political pressure to ease the suffering.

So, what is the latest? As you have all been reading in our Federation’s regular email updates, JFNA, in conjunction with JDC and The Jewish Agency, have been on the ground in and around Ukraine since the beginning of the war to assist the estimated 200,000 Ukrainian Jews, many of whom are trapped in conflict zones or have fled the country with virtually nothing.

Since the fighting began, Jewish Federations, including our own Federation, have collectively raised nearly $40 million for Ukrainian relief to support new olim in Israel, to provide beds, food, medicines, and other necessities, and to provide crucial lifelines for children, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. 

The third national Jewish Federation leadership mission to Poland, in which our own Nancy Burnett and Lisa Long will participate, will take place next week. And now, JFNA is preparing to send Russian and Ukrainian-speaking volunteers to the war-torn region to provide support and assist Jewish refugees who wish to make aliyah. We eagerly look forward to Nancy and Lisa’s first-hand impressions from their trip and will take their lead on what we do next.

On the political front, Jewish Federation activists from around the United States flew to Washington a few weeks ago to advocate for humanitarian aid for Ukraine and support for refugee resettlement. Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's moving speech to Congress, our Federation joined more than 375 Jewish and other faith-based groups and organizations from around the U.S. to urge President Biden to take immediate steps to welcome refugees from Ukraine and reunite families by expediting the resettlement of Ukrainians who are already in the immigration process. These efforts worked. President Biden has now authorized the immigration to the United States of 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and as the processes for this influx of refugees becomes clear, our Federation, like before, will endeavor to be part of the national resettlement initiative

The Israeli response has also been tremendous, despite many geopolitical complexities. There is disagreement among Israeli leadership regarding its current reluctance to unambiguously join with the U.S. and Europe in condemning Russia and participate in the international sanctions’ regime. This reluctance is driven primarily by the fear of Russian retaliation that will limit Israel’s ability to operate in Syria, the airspace over which is controlled by Russia. Indeed, in his recent address to the Knesset, President Zelensky called for Israel to provide military assistance to Ukraine and criticized the country for failing to take in more refugees and apply sanctions. In a more conciliatory tone, Zelensky later thanked Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is prepared to travel to Kyiv if needed, for his efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. 

Nonetheless, Israel signed on to a U.N. General Assembly censure of Russia and continues to send warm clothes, medical supplies, and water purification equipment. An Israeli field hospital, facilitated by the internationally renowned Sheba Medical Center which has notably operated in many disaster zones around the world, is now officially opened in Mostyska, Ukraine. The hospital, which is expected to be operating for at least a month, will contain an emergency department, a labor and delivery ward, and several other vital medical components. And, Israel is preparing for as many as 10,000 refugees to follow the first group of Ukrainian Jews who have arrived on Israeli soil.

Even Yad Vashem has spoken out against Vladimir Putin’s continued misplaced “denazification” rhetoric – allegations that Ukraine is responsible for or planning a “genocide” of Russian speakers in Ukraine’s eastern provinces – in his justifications for invading Ukraine. The museum’s leaders condemned the trivialization and distortion of the historical facts of the Holocaust, and deplore the Russian invasion, fearing for the wellbeing of innocent civilians.

One final personal note. As many of you might know, I am a big fan of competitive figure skating. And so, while most sports fans have been focused in recent weeks on March Madness, I spent this past weekend getting up early to watch the World Figure Skating Championships live from Montpellier in the south of France. 

While a world championship competition that immediately follows the winter Olympics is somewhat anticlimactic in the figure skating sphere, this year’s competition was an exception. The International Skating Union, the governing body for figure skating, expressed its solidarity with the nation and people of Ukraine by ruling that no athletes/officials/coaches from Russia or Belarus were permitted to participate in Worlds or in any other ISU event until further notice.

But the more interesting and meaningful part of this story involves the five Ukrainian figure skaters who competed at the event. None of them were prepared given that the ice rinks where they train have either been destroyed or turned into shelters, they barely made it to France, and only the single man completed both phases of the competition (he placed near the bottom of the pack). But the outpouring of support from the crowd and the emotions even I felt as these skaters took the ice donning Ukrainian-emblazoned athletic wear as opposed to their normal costumes was palpable. It was a moment that I will not forget and reminded me how proud I am to know that the organized Jewish community stands in solidarity with the rest of the world against tyranny and injustice, and that we will always step up when needed.

Bonnie Deutsch Burdman
Federation Executive Director, Community Relations/Government Affairs