Jewish Agency Sends Emergency Aid to Ukrainian Jews

JERUSALEM, Israel -- The Jewish Agency is helping Ukraine's Jewish Community with emergency aid as the country totters on the brink of war.

"The Jewish community of Ukraine, which counts some 200,000 members, is one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the world, with dozens of active Jewish organizations and institutions," Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky said in a recent statement. "We have a moral responsibility to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine's Jews."

Sharansky said the agency is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and staying in close contact with leaders of the Jewish community there. The aid, he said, "aims to increase security at Jewish communal institutions in Ukraine."

Following the 2012 terror attack on a Jewish day school in Toulouse, France, that left a rabbi and three children dead, the agency established a fund specifically to provide financial aid to communities facing securing concerns "to ensure that Jewish life takes place in safety."

"During 70 years of Communist rule, Jewish gatherings were prohibited in Ukraine, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Jewish institutions began to develop in the country, transforming the Jewish community," the statement continued. "Today, Ukraine is host to a vibrant Jewish community with dozens of communal institutions, including synagogues, schools, yeshivas, seminaries, and organizations specializing in extending assistance to the needy and empowering the younger generation."

Dr. Misha Galperin, who serves as president and CEO of Jewish Agency International Development, said they're seeking to replenish the fund to strengthen the security concerns of Ukrainian Jewish communities.