The situation in Ukraine is still dire

We are in the midst of a truly meaningful, reflective and emotional time – the Ten Days of Awe are fast drawing to a close. On Yom Kippur, our holiest day of the year, we will have the opportunity to inhabit all that the Day of Atonement encompasses – without requiring a break for food or water, without any other distractions.

As part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy, we read Unetaneh Tokef, a moving poem containing poignant questions such as: “Who will live and who will die?”

At this time, we urgently need to analyse so much on both a micro and macro level – for the sake of each unique soul and for the sake of Klal Yisrael, the Jewish people as a whole.

We can’t help but exhale with a collective sigh when we cast our minds back to what has transpired this year for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. A brutal emergency and crisis emerged, the likes of which has not been witnessed since the Second World War. Yes, initially the world was galvanised by dramatic images of hordes of desperate refugees evacuating mostly to neighbouring countries, yet within the Jewish communities across Ukraine, approximately three-quarters of the Jewish population remain.

Enter the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), to which the Joint Australia is intrinsically connected, both in vision and action. With so many thousands of Jews on the ground in an ongoing veritable danger zone, the mission to mobilise humanitarian aid and supplies commenced immediately. To date, the situation is still dire.

With the vast majority of elderly Jewish residents remaining (over 90 per cent), their vulnerability needed addressing. On the ground, most Jewish people are not in bomb shelters, rather they warily remain in their homes; the fact is so much is needed. Basic living costs have risen dramatically – from medicines to foods to energy – and inflation has jumped up. And winter is now creeping ever-closer.

There is a high level of uncertainty, with no clear understanding if or when there will be another escalation or wave of violence – meanwhile, the targeted destruction continues. Many who were managing daily life now find themselves with the unenviable label “the new poor”. With the reality of all that entails, it is difficult to survive with job losses across every sector.

Jewish Ukrainians are relying heavily on external help and aid – assistance provided by the Joint is met with relief by the exhausted residents of much of this decimated land, which is actually infused with so much Jewish history.

Those of every age and stage are facing challenges. This military escalation resulted in Jewish children facing their third consecutive year of missing face-toface schooling; this crisis tagged on the back of the pandemic. The upside is that via the Joint, online opportunities have emerged including informal Jewish education. It is heartwarming that many Jewish people have opted to accept this help, such as a network of Jewish teenagers with an ever-expanding range of social activities and seminars.

Ensuring a kesher, or connection, is vital as it offers engagement, belonging and support for members of our tribe doing it so tough. Among a plethora of programs, the Joint has been rolling out a technology initiative all year, aiming to introduce innovative ways for the elderly to communicate, along with linking younger people too. There is also one-time emergency assistance available with funds to help equip families with laptops. All too often this is a veritable lifeline as so many have been housebound for so long.

National director of the Joint Australia Brett Kaye explains, “We have heard respected Ukrainian Holocaust survivors in shock, painfully reminiscing about horrific times when they had to flee their homes under Nazi oppression. Now, over seven decades later, many are displaced and disadvantaged once again. To hear that many have lost everything … it is sobering and pries open deep wounds. The Joint was there post-World War II; the Joint is proud to help in myriad ways today, tomorrow and beyond.”

As we look forward, there is no simple solution, yet it is clear philanthropy will play a vital role in 2023. We must advocate; we must share their stories; we must not be lulled into a false sense of calm because this is no longer splashed across the front pages of global mastheads on an hourly basis.

We know all too well that Jewish communities throughout history have been through dark, challenging times. Yet through belief, determination and hard work, Am Yisrael, the Jewish people, has made it thus far and we will buoy those who, through no fault of their own, are sinking.

This Rosh Hashanah, among other modes of support from the Joint, thousands of Jewish people in Ukraine received special holiday food packages, all sent, distributed and funded by the Joint – a burst of sweetness at what is typically a festive season. At every age and stage, each person deserves to live in safety, deserves to practise their religion how they see fit, deserves to unite in peace.

Thinking about all that the brave people of Ukraine have experienced over the arc of this past year is hard to fathom; today the streets are violent and the humanitarian crisis resonates deeply – so much uncertainty, disruption and displacement from one Yom Kippur to the next.

Within Unetaneh Tokef, we are guided that with teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah – repentance, prayer and righteous acts such as giving charity – every member of our global Jewish family can consciously and actively strive to reverse the evil decree and simultaneously help those in need with hope in their hearts.

This powerful poem helps contextualise so much. Yes, it is a time of reflection but also a time to act. We are here to help and we pray that all are safely sealed in the Book of Life!

Ramona Freedman is a freelance writer and a supporter of the Joint Australia. To donate: thejoint.org.au