News & Impact

“I love Passover because for me it is a cry against indifference, a cry for compassion.”

⁠—Elie Wiesel

With this extraordinary humanitarian effort continuing into a second month, you are taking action to provide lifesaving help for Ukraine. Thank you. We are overwhelmed by and grateful for the generosity of our JFCS community.

Update on JFCS’ Ukraine Relief Efforts

Locally, JFCS’ Emigre Services professionals are providing essential legal aid, information, referrals, and counseling to the large number of families in our community with close relatives in Ukraine and overseas. JFCS is deeply engaged in refugee resettlement and efforts to assist displaced persons wishing to join relatives here.

Through our partners on the ground in Ukraine, your donations offer housing and food to hundreds of women with young children, psychological first aid to refugees, childcare programs, and loving care to elderly refugees and seniors inside Ukraine who are too frail to travel.

We pray for the safety of our courageous colleagues and volunteers including our partners IsraAID, the Jewish Community of Poland’s Ukrainian Emergency Relief efforts, and Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), who work around the clock to help the refugees.

As part of the Jewish Community of Poland’s efforts, our friends at the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow have converted the museum into a childcare program. They provide care, fun activities, and outings for refugee children so their mothers can seek work and places to live. Families also receive clothing, shoes, medical support, and food.

Here is a video and photos of the Galicia Jewish Museum’s childcare program in action:

Watch this video to see what we are doing together for Ukrainian refugee children and families.

Many Ukrainian refugee children needed shoes. Here at the Galicia Jewish Museum’s childcare program, they show off the new sneakers they received, thanks to generous donations.

On a recent outing to the park in Kraków, refugee children enjoyed a picnic lunch—a reminder of life in better times.

Craft projects are a popular activity for children visiting the museum.

Art and conversation provide a safe outlet for children to work through their trauma, share their feelings, and feel safer. All photos courtesy Galicia Jewish Museum.

Helping Children Cope with Anxiety around Difficult Topics

In this heartbreaking time, feelings of anxiety are on the rise for people of all ages. Parenting experts at JFCS’ Center for Children and Youth share tips to help children manage their feelings of anxiety.

How to Give Help

• Legal Aid Volunteers. Attorneys, law students, and legal assistants—your help is needed! Please contact [email protected].
• Housing. For those who may have housing for refugees, please contact Irina Klay at [email protected].
• Volunteering. Please complete this form on our website.
• Public Policy. Find out how you can advocate for policies supporting refugee entry to the US and family reunification.
• Donations. Give to the JFCS Emergency Fund for Ukrainian Relief.

How to Get Help

• Resources. Find valuable information and contacts on our Ukraine Response Resources page.
• JFCS Legal Services Consultations. JFCS assists with refugee resettlement and reunification for those with family members overseas. For information, contact [email protected] or 415‑449‑2906.
• JFCS Mental Health Support. JFCS is a resource for mental health support for all ages. Please call 415‑449‑3700.

We are grateful for your participation in this crucial humanitarian effort. Passover blessings to you and your family.