An Update on The Rescue Efforts in Ukraine from Chief Rabbi Yaakov Bleich!
Airstrikes are devastating cities in Ukraine while efforts to displace residents are ongoing frenziedly. What was once a cheerful, beautiful city is now a wreckage strewn with garbled metal. With mangled cars in flames and deafening blasts as a backdrop, women, waiting to be evacuated, wail as they clutch their children. Although more and more people are out of the lion’s den, many are still trapped and waiting for our help.
Today, we are standing at the Polish border between Poland and Ukraine. The day was spent going from border to border, encountering thousands and thousands of evacuated people . Here, throngs streamed out of Ukraine, sporadic gunfire echoing behind them. Big rooms equipped with beds, bedding, heating and food are awaiting the evacuees.
We couldn’t help thinking, If we would’ve had this eighty years ago during WWII, we would’ve been able to save many, many people.
Looking around, there were many organizations greeting the people, placing the people, caring for the people. Unfortunately, the Jewish religious community was not there. While we were there, the JDC finally pulled up with some volunteers from Monsey who came to greet the people.
As we heard, a handful of selfless volunteers headed to Hungary.
Taking in how many Jews are here and how much work there is to do so, the amount we can accomplish here is incredible.
Back in Ukraine, we sent off our buses from shul this morning with hopeful hearts. The bus trudged past ruins, debris and crashed vans. From the windows, frightened residents – children and elderly – gripping the hands of caring soldiers were seen. And Chasdei Hashem, after suspenseful hours, our buses arrived at the borders of Koson.
Today, we also had the great pleasure and honor to take a newborn baby and the mother to safety. We fervently hope they will be met by merciful people at the border who will help them and take them to go through.
Yesterday, we had children and grandchildren of righteous gentiles on our bus. Eight decades ago, during the Holocaust, their grandparents endangered their lives to save dozens and dozens of Jews. Their virtuous deeds are documented in Yad Vashem. And when their frightened children and grandchildren turned to us for evacuation help, there was no way we were able to turn them down.
It was like coming full circle. We are able to take these people out of Kiev towards Western Ukraine, to safety, repaying a virtuous deed from years ago.
We couldn’t have done this without you. Our work continues, and baruch Hashem, with your generous support we forge on. Please open your hearts and continue to do what you can to support us.
