This Purim and Pesach, Masorti Olami calls upon all our friends and supporters worldwide to give generously to a special joint campaign we are running together with The Schechter Institutes for our communities in Ukraine by clicking here. The call to fulfill the mitzvah of Matanot L'evyonim - Gifts for the Needy - must be heard as our Masorti/Conservative communities in Ukraine continue to struggle with the repercussions of the ongoing war, which began in 2022.

Over two years since the start of the war in Ukraine and the emergency efforts of Masorti Olami and the Schechter Institutes, we have managed to provide our Ukrainian community members, both in Ukraine, and those refugees in Europe, Israel and the US with Jewish communal life. Thanks to our generous supporters, we have been able to continue our efforts of relief and support for our Ukrainian Masorti/Conservative communities. Since the start of the war, we have evacuated hundreds of refugees from Ukraine to safe places and provided them with everything they may need such as food, medicine, warm clothes, heating, generators, transport, shelter, educational and religious materials, and much more. Our main communities in Chernivtsi, Kyiv and Odessa have been conducting almost regular activities, with new projects and NOAM activities being developed throughout the year, and we have continued supporting our smaller communities/groups in Kharkiv and Dnipro by providing them with religious materials and activities. 

The needs in Ukraine are changing and growing daily. We have compiled the most pressing needs that have been shared with us by our representatives in the communities in Ukraine, towards which your donations are and will be going:

• Mishloach manot and packaged food and meals for the needy - With the joyful holiday of Purim starting soon, it is more important than ever that our Ukrainian community members can celebrate this holiday and feel supported, as they usually do. Joy is severely lacking during this time, for all of us around the world, and the ability to send and receive mishloach manot will light up this dark time for our brothers and sisters across Ukraine.

• Pesach preparations and supplies – The need to plan for Pesach is extremely important this year, as we do not know what tomorrow will bring for the situation in Ukraine. This includes securing a location for all the communal seders that we will be organizing; preparing and kashering the facilities under rabbinic supervision; purchasing of food and equipment such as, matzah, wine, meat, haggadot and other ingredients to cater to the communal seders that we hope to support in Chernivtsi, Kyiv, Odessa and Kharkiv.

• Generator and safe room for Kyiv – Our community in Kyiv has been able to meet and conduct activities almost regularly, thanks to the efforts of Community Director, Maxim Melnikov and Yuri Radchenko from our Kyiv community, together with Rabbi Irina Gritsevskaya, Director of Midreshet Schechter. Due to the size of the community building, and the threatening situation in Kyiv, the community is in desperate need for a large generator and safe room. The synagogue is the center of their Masorti/Conservative Jewish life, and it is where people will likely gather in the case of an emergency. With a likely increase in violence, it is crucial that additional security measures be installed as soon as possible.

• Ongoing support for refugees in Ukraine, Europe, Israel and the US – We continue to support hundreds of refugees both in Ukraine and around the world who need our ongoing help, which includes housing, medical needs, educational materials and courses, spiritual support and materials, leadership and rabbinic training courses, NOAM (youth) group support, and much more. 

Help us embrace the spirit of Purim and give generously today to our Ukraine Purim Appeal by clicking here: