As Russia invades Ukraine, I wanted to share this message and request from Rabbi Avraham Wolf, Chief Rabbi of Odessa & Southern Ukraine. It’s from a few days ago and I’m not sure if there have been any updates but it just feels really important to signal boost this:
“The Jewish community in the Ukraine is in need of your assistance during these dire times. As the threat of war intensifies, Mishpacha Chabad Odessa is preparing to support the hundreds of Jews who are unable to evacuate the country including orphans, students, and Holocaust survivors. Preparations are also underway to absorb Jewish refugees from the surrounding regions of Kharkiv, Kiev, and Dnieper.
$300,000 in donations are urgently needed to purchase medical gear, protective equipment, and basic necessities such as clothes and sleeping bags. Money is also needed to help stock emergency shelters with several tons of cereal, buckwheat, sugar, rice, flour and other non-perishable staples. These donations will also help defray the costs of additional security personnel arriving from Israel to help protect the Jewish community.
Your generous donation will help ensure that the Jewish community of Odessa is prepared for all eventualities and is able to provide security, shelter, and food for everyone in need during this dangerous time. $130,000 has already been spent in food alone - but much more is still needed.”
I’d like to take the time to see if I can get this project currently going on in my state some more traction. It’s to buy back the Temple Emanu-El from the Catholic Church. The deadline for the sale was extended recently to the end of June, and they need to raise 1.5 million to get it back. Sadly, they don’t think they’ll be able to make enough by the deadline. I want to try to help turn those tides. Please donate to their project, if you can. <3
Boosting this fundraiser for anyone with the extra cash to donate!
