Ukraine Update 30.3.2022: Getting Settled in Israel

This past Saturday, four more families came to Berlin and today three more children went to school in Berlin bringing the total number of refugee students in the Jewish day school to thirteen. Two of these families traveled from Kharkiv through Warsaw and expressed how touched they were by the warm welcoming they received from the community in Warsaw. They told us that for the first time in a month they can walk around the city carefree, eat ice cream and feel safe. However, every time a train passed by or a frightening sound was heard they were unsettled.

In Chernivtsi, the leaders of the Midreshet Schechter/Masorti Olami community took another step towards protecting our community members. Window reinforcements were purchased for the communal buildings people are taking shelter in.

In Kyiv, life is slowly returning to as normal as possible in the shadow of the war. Earlier this week members of our community were sitting in cafes in Podol a city bordering the capital. Maxim, the administrative director of the cosponsored Midreshet Schechter/Masorti Olami community in Kyiv, has opened a communal kitchen and prepared meals from the emergency food delivery from the Chernivtsi community as described in the March 27th update. After the volunteers prepared all the food, they then distributed the warm meals to many people. All our remaining community members there are receiving our help.

In Israel, all the refugees are being taken care of and receive the attention they need and deserve. Aryeh, from the Masorti movement, is our main contact for solving legal, economic, bureaucratic, and other problems that our refugees here are facing. He went to every one of the Olim to make sure everyone has a place to stay for Pesah. No one was left alone. We are now preparing  another round of financial aid that we hope to hand out before Pesach.

The Schechter Institutes, together with our partners at Masorti Olami, are currently spending $25,000 each week to house, feed, and meet travel expenses for hundreds of people in Ukraine:

• $8,000 per week for hotel rooms and apartments in Chernivtsi
• $4,000 per week for food served at the Masorti Refugee Center in Chernivtsi
• $5,000 each week on travel/tickets for refugees coming to Israel
• An average of $5,000 each week on direct support for people still in besieged cities
• Payment for the community’s temporary lodging and expenses in Romania
• Helping our Masorti communities in Germany, Hungary, and Poland to welcome and house members of the Ukrainian communities

To donate via The Schechter Institutes or via Masorti Olami.