Among Ukraine’s refugees, I found new meaning in Passover’s open door – The Times of Israel
Posted By admin on April 25, 2022
JTA When the war came, Galina Chornobyl fled so fast she left her teeth behind.
Thats one of the first things she shared with me when I met Galina at the Siret border crossing in Romania late last month.
Kyiv had become untenable too much time spent inching down five flights of stairs to her basement bomb shelter, too much fear after watching the TV tower across the street explode.
The 95-year-old had only left Ukraine once before, as a child on an evacuation train during World War II. Now, a lifetime later, she was running once again this time to the west, seeking shelter in neighboring Romania.
Galina and her daughter Olga Goriachko, 69, didnt have much of a plan when they crossed the border, but then they saw the big tent operated 24/7 by my organization, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, in partnership with the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities.
There was a large banner reading Bruchim Habaim, Hebrew for welcome. That was a good start, Olga thought Hebrew felt good. Hebrew felt safe.
Then they saw Russian letters spelling out Hesed, the network of social welfare centers we established across Ukraine and the former Soviet Union from which Galina had received support for years. Thats when they knew theyd be OK.
They understood, Olga told me, that they had found an open door.
It was like an oasis in the desert. They surrounded us immediately, offering food, water, help, comfort, and support, she said. We got to our people.
Wherever we live in large communities with robust communal infrastructure and in small villages where you can count us on one hand we Jews belong to each other in unshakable, ineffable ways.
During my time in Moldova and Romania to help in the refugee aid response and document it, I saw that chain of Jewish mutual care in action: refugees turned volunteers, helping fellow Ukrainian Jews acclimate to new surroundings; teens leading Shabbat services at refugee camps; Jewish Community Centers repurposed as round-the-clock call centers and shelters for mothers with young children.
This is part of a wide-ranging effort carried out by local Jewish communities, Jewish groups abroad and Israel. Its been steadfastly supported by Jewish philanthropy and leadership from Jewish federations to the Claims Conference, from theInternational Fellowship of Christians and Jews to major foundations and individuals. JDC, alone, has raised more than $50 million since the beginning of the war.
In Ukraine, JDC continues to reach tens of thousands of Jews receiving emergency support through our infrastructure of social service centers, staff and Jewish volunteers. Theyre providing tons of life-saving aid, psychosocial support and the warm embrace of community during air raids and bombardments.
Additionally, JDC, together with partners, has helped almost 12,000 Jews evacuate from places like Kramatorsk, Kyiv and Kharkiv. On the other side of the border, together with the Jewish communities of Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, weve ensured that more than 30,000 refugees have food, medical care, trauma support and accommodation. These activities, in Ukraine and in neighboring countries to which refugees have fled, are supported by UJA-Federation of New York and other partners.
Across this landscape, well try to make good on Passovers message of deliverance through online and in-person communal celebrations, matzah delivery and extra food for the neediest. And as we face the future, well continue to be part of both these refugees journeys and the long-term project to rebuild Jewish life in Ukraine.
In all this work, I saw the open door and was reminded again of the many times my own family needed it: When my great-great-grandmother Molly escaped a pogrom in what is now Vilnius, Lithuania, securing herself, her child, and a future that included me. When my grandfather Samuel returned to a shattered Europe after fleeing his shtetl on the eve of World War II and found safe harbor in a displaced persons camp. When my cousins decided to leave Soviet Ukraine in the late 1980s, and received support from my organization and others as they waited for their visas in Italy and settled into Brooklyn with cautious optimism and palpable relief.
I know Im only here because of the doors that opened for them, and the ones weve all worked to keep open in the years since.
Like Galina and Olga, Anna Timoshenkofled when the bombs and blasts in Kyiv were no longer bearable. When I met her, she was in Moldova with her elderly mother and teenage son. Both Annas mother and her aunt are Hesed clients, receiving life-saving humanitarian assistance from the Jewish community.
A successful tax lawyer in Kyiv, Anna described a harrowing 14-hour journey through Ukraine, more than twice the length of the trip in peacetime zigzagging on back roads to avoid military checkpoints, terrified that something awful would happen to her family, afraid the scenes she saw as she drove would stay with her forever.
Sitting in her aunts apartment, she couldnt shake a recent grim epiphany: This wasnt the first time that shed sought shelter here when chaos reigned back home.
In 1986, in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster, she and her family packed suitcases and headed to her aunt. She was 17 the same age her son is now.
This is where we come when were going through ordeals, she said with a wry laugh. It means something, that its always here.
Thats our job, too, as Jews to always be there, making sure the door is never closed for Galina and Olga, for Annas family, and for tens of thousands of others in their time of need.
Just as we opened the door for Elijah at the seder, we must continue to guarantee that when our brothers and sisters around the world knock, we answer.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
Read the rest here:
Among Ukraine's refugees, I found new meaning in Passover's open door - The Times of Israel
- Language, culture and bureaucracy: the challenges of lone soldiers - Ynetnews [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- 'Amen' says we want to follow God's will - Arkansas Catholic [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- For Jerusalem Day, the humble memorials to those who died unifying the city - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- Two Mothers Whose Love Changed the World - MissionsBox [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- Hundreds of Jewish books buried as part of project at Manhattan synagogue - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- God Squad: Psalm 23 the next two words - The News Star [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- 'I'm the Annoying Mom': Gal Gadot Talks Parenting With Conan O'Brien, Teaches Him Hebrew - Algemeiner [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- Daily Kickoff: The Etihad exec who loves Hebrew + Interviewing immigrants painted by George W. Bush - Jewish Insider [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- Hebrew University researchers discover the taste of heavy water - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- The Etihad exec with a lifelong love of Hebrew Amina Taher, a vice president at the - Jewish Insider [Last Updated On: May 8th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 8th, 2021]
- In Conversation With Amal Murkus: A Palestinian, An Artiste, A Woman - Feminism in India [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Franz Kafka's never-before-seen manuscripts and drawings go online - Radio Prague [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Love Israeli culture, committed to Palestinian rights. Where do I belong? - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Faculty voice: Teaching in Israel amidst the current violence - MSUToday [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Arrowhead from biblical battle discovered in Goliath's hometown - Livescience.com [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Eden Alene releases Hebrew cover of Disney Princess anthem 'Starting Now' - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- I love Israeli and Hebrew culture, and am committed to Palestinian solidarity. Where's the group for me? - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- 7 Things You Should Know About Hebrew | My Jewish Learning [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Hebrews - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Hebrew language - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: June 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 1st, 2021]
- Amulet Dated 1500 Years Discovered in Israel, Believed to Guard Against Evil Eye - News18 [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Israel's Jewish-Arab rift resurfaced this year, but coalition deal signals change - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Local rabbi creates Braille Torah for the visually impaired - thejewishchronicle.net [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Lineage Cell Therapeutics to Host Webinar With Therapeutic Area Experts to Discuss Retinal Tissue Restoration Observed in Dry AMD Patients Treated... [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- For the grandfather of micro-drawing, its truly a small world after all - Forward [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- D'Var Torah: What happens when King Balak seeks to drive the Hebrews out? - The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Innocan Pharma Announces Patent Application for Novel Cannabis-Based Vaginal Moisturizer and Lubricant Treatment - StreetInsider.com [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- In wake of antisemitism spike, here's how Jewish institutions should be thinking about security - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Newton woman, a member of Brandeis' first graduating class, reflects on past - Wicked Local [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Hebrew horoscopes for month of Tammuz: Homing in on living waters J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- 'Zeyer Gut!': JSL Resident Does a 'Very Good' Job Teaching Yiddish to Her Neighbors Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- New Lehrhaus rises from HaMaqom's ashes J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- A rabbi was having trouble with his vision. So, he created a Braille Sefer Torah - Frederick News Post [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- Getting to know: Oreen Cohen | The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle - thejewishchronicle.net [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- For 35 years, this mother-daughter duo has run a radio show on Ladino and Sephardic Jewish culture from Madrid - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- How a Moroccan Jew celebrated liberation from Hitler with a Haggadah - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- 7 Fourth of July stories from JTA's archive to take you back in time - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- Textile designer weaves tapestry of her life in Israel - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- What does it mean to think of the world "in Jewish"? | OUPblog - OUPblog [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- The Oxford Handbook of The Historical Books of the Hebrew Bible, edited by Brad E. Kelle and Brent A. Strawn - Church Times [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- The Hebrew Bible and the American Revolution - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- $1.17 Million Donation to Fund 30 Fellowships to Middlebury School of Hebrew - Middlebury College News and Events [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2021]
- Olympics-Bound Team Israel has Helped American Baseball Players Get More in Touch With Their Jewish Identities Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: July 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 13th, 2021]
- Making aliyah as an adult can be hard. This MK is working to change that - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: July 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 13th, 2021]
- Palestinian Businesses Ordered to Remove Hebrew Signs - Israel Today [Last Updated On: July 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 13th, 2021]
- Q&A: How a retired stockbroker became the 'Spinning Rabbi' J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- The absence of the Arabic language from the public sphere in Israel Mondoweiss - Mondoweiss [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- A Jewish library's treasure surfaced at auction. How did it get there? J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- Guest Op-Ed: A Return to Normal for Jews of Northern Greater Boston? - East Boston Times-Free Press [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- Something For Brides & Grooms! Ric Hassani Features in This Classic H.A.T Collection by Hebrew & Toys - BellaNaija [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- Young historian to give talk on Hebrew cemetery - Rutland Herald [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- Hebrew SeniorLife to require all employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 - The Boston Globe [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- The subtle traumas of Jewish immigration to Israel don't disappear - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: July 30th, 2021] [Originally Added On: July 30th, 2021]
- Toxic effects of lead more widespread than once thought - ISRAEL21c [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Qur'an And Torah Are Pro Religious Evolution (Part II) OpEd Eurasia Review - Eurasia Review [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Israeli Trials with Already-Approved Drug Give 'Astounding Results' in Severe COVID Cases - CBN News [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- A paradigm-shifting lectionary for the whole church - National Catholic Reporter [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Experts say current COVID outbreak being curbed thanks to booster vaccines - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Opinion/Fink: The Jewish world of Alexander Hamilton - The Providence Journal [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Abeles and Heymann Out Dogs Hebrew National as Top Tier Kosher Hotdog - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Hebrew Academy unveils state-of-the-art building - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2021]
- Is there an antidote for all this hopelessness? J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2021]
- Remembering The 9/11 And Kabul Attacks & The Rabbi's March On Washington D. C. - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2021]
- The soul in religions - The Manomet Current [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2021]
- Coronavirus: On Rosh Hashanah, what will stay and what will go? - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2021]
- 18th Sunday in ordinary time: Implanted in your heart - Times of Malta [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2021]
- Construction woes force Hebrew Academy to alter opening-day plans - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2021]
- What are the Jewish High Holy Days? A look at Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and a month of celebrating renewal and moral responsibility - The Conversation... [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2021]
- Welcome back, Five Towns schools reopen | Herald Community Newspapers - liherald [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2021]
- What are the Jewish High Holy Days? A look at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - ABC10.com KXTV [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2021]
- This youngster from Kochi who teaches Hebrew wishes to open his own language learning academy. Read to find more - EdexLive [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2021]
- Retiring Humanitarian Aid Worker Reflects On 40 Years Working In Conflict Zones : Goats and Soda - NPR [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- For Rosh Hashana, Baltimore-area rabbis faced with delivering sermons at transitional moment in COVID pandemic - msnNOW [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- What are the Jewish High Holy Days, and why are they celebrated? - Sumter Item [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- 12 new letters: Revamped aleph bet aims to recognize women and non-binary people - Forward [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- What is Rosh Hashana? What is the Jewish New Year? - Deseret News [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Herzog College and YU Press Publish First Hebrew-English Edition of Megadim Yeshiva University News - Yu News [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Medieval Hebrew prayer book expected to fetch up to $6m at auction - The Guardian [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2021]
- Remembrance and Teshuvah | Hebrew College Wendy Linden - Patheos [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2021]
- Science and the Bible - Daily American Online [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2021] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2021]
Comments