Jewish Relief Network Ukraine

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Jewish Relief Network Ukraine

We are the largest Jewish Humanitarian Relief Organization in Ukraine. Our dedicated leaders, staff and volunteers live in the communities they serve.

Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU) is the largest boots-on-the-ground Jewish humanitarian aid organization in Ukraine. They understand the needs of the people and have the resources to help. With virtually no overhead and minimal bureaucracy, every donation reaches those in need: grocery store vouchers, food parcels, medicine, medical and mental health care, children's programs, household and personal items and much more. We help people young and old, like Masha, who was living in a dilapidated home, without sufficient food or adequate clothing. We brought Masha to her grandparents, and with ongoing support from JRNU, she has overcome physical and emotional traumas. Together, We Can Save Lives And Restore Hope!

10/12/2026

Last week Ukraine endured some of the worst attacks of the ongoing crisis. At least 20 people, including children, were killed as a barrage of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles struck targets in the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipro, Poltava, and Kharkiv and Odessa.

The capital city of Kyiv has been under constant bombardment in recent weeks, destroying energy infrastructure and rail and road transport, including the bridges that connect the city over the Dnipro River. Air raid sirens sound almost constantly, sending residents to basements, shelters and subway stations.

The largest attacks since February 2022, caused significant damage to residential buildings, industrial facilities, and infrastructure. In the Chernihiv region, a missile hit a five-story residential building, killing at least 14 people, including four children, and wounding 50 others. In Kyiv, two people were killed in a fire caused by an air attack. And two people were killed when missiles hit high-rise buildings in Dnipro and Kremenchuk, while two others died in Oleksandriya.

Our leaders, staff and volunteers are in constant communications with Jews throughout the country, checking on them and providing assistance--physical, emotional, and spiritual. We are doing everything possible to help people survive this very difficult and ongoing crisis. Together we save lives and restore hope.

10/09/2026

Recently, representatives from Jewish communities across Ukraine met with Israeli Minister Ze’ev Elkin, as part of official events marking the 85th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre.

The special meeting, held at the Nativ Israeli Cultural Center in Kyiv, included Alon Shoham and Gennady Polishchuk from Nativ, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Roi Rozenblit, and other diplomats and community representatives along with Minister Elkin. The gathering provided a forum to discuss the significant needs of Ukraine’s Jewish communities, regarding the daily challenges and the upcoming winter.

Rabbi Simcha Levenhartz, Director of JRNU, participated in the important discussion which carried deep personal meaning: his great-grandmother was among those murdered at Babyn Yar. “We continue in our grandmother’s path,” he told Minister Elkin, referring to the generations that have continued to build Jewish life in Ukraine.

Babyn Yar, a ravine in Kyiv, became one of the most enduring symbols of the Holocaust. On September 29–30, 1941, N**i forces murdered 33,771 Jews in just two days; the site continued to be used for mass killings throughout the war, and historians estimate that approximately 100,000 people were murdered at Babyn Yar between 1941 and 1943.

During the meeting, the Israeli delegation expressed their appreciation for the work of community leaders who continue providing humanitarian assistance and spiritual support to thousands of Jews throughout Ukraine.

Together we save lives and restore hope.

10/07/2026

Last week, during their school holiday, young men and women from Dnipro helped elderly and sick members of the local Jewish community celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. The students visited Jews who were unable to attend synagogue services, helping them fulfill the mitzvah of blessing the four species and reminding them they are not alone.

Three groups of young women went to 15 different addresses, including private homes and senior centers, sharing holiday treats and conversation, bringing joy to the elderly residents. The young men also split into groups and visited elderly single men in their homes and care centers.

On Friday, in addition to continuing these visits, the young men assisted four women prepare for the last days of the holiday, bringing them kosher juice and sweets. The women were elated to spend time with the young guests, sharing stories and laughter.

“The boys and girls participated very actively in the visits; it was wonderful to see their joy in sharing the holiday with other Jews,” noted Ilana Esther Shpolyanska-Khanelis, a member of the Dnipro Jewish Community who coordinated the program. “Our students brought the joy of Sukkot to the elderly, and they rejoiced in the opportunity to do good. These encounters, the connection and care between generations of Jews, manifests the closeness of our local Jewish community.”

It is an honor and privilege to support the Jews of Dnipro and throughout Ukraine. Together we save lives and restore hope.

10/05/2026

Last Monday, a daytime attack damaged civilian buildings and wounded more than 100 people across the country. A drone exploded into the National Academy of Sciences in the heart of Kyiv; hours later, a second drone damaged a private medical clinic just blocks away. In Dnipro, emergency crews rushed to evacuate wounded civilians from a business center also hit in broad daylight. Just two days later seven people were killed in more strikes.

The latest strikes, that continued over this past weekend, targeted Ukraine’s utilities infrastructure as well as transportation routes. Drones hit one of Kyiv's main bridges, bringing public transport to a halt and setting fire to a metro train that was travelling across. Emergency power cuts have been imposed in Kyiv even as temperatures fell below freezing overnight.

The round-the-clock aerial bombardment with high-speed, jet-powered attack drones and long-range missiles appear to be an effort to systematically dismantle Ukraine's critical civilian infrastructure just before winter, exacerbating fears of another very difficult and very dangerous season. Included among the damage is a communication center in Kyiv, as well as energy system facilities and the port infrastructure in southwestern Odessa.

Our staff and volunteers are working long hours to respond to immediate needs as well as prepare for the winter. Over the past few months, requests for aid such as food and medicine have increased substantially; at the same time we are responding to many requests from local communities to help ensure they have sufficient generator capacity to survive the winter.

Together we save lives and restore hope.

09/30/2026

On the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, the young children of the “Beit Tzindlicht” educational center, in Dnipro, were treated to a grand celebration. The day began with the children enjoying a festive meal inside the Sukkah where they put into practice everything they had learned in the weeks leading up to the holiday, including the prayers over the Four Species. Next, the kids watched a puppet show; decorated cookies shaped like an etrog, lulav, and other symbols of the holiday; and played at the glitter and ribbon station. After each activity, the children received a special sticker, and after collecting all four – like the four species of plants – they received a small gift.

“It is very important to us that from an early age, children learn that Jewish tradition is a living part of their own lives,” noted preschool teacher Malka Averbukh. She continued, “We strive to ensure that every holiday becomes a time of joy, new discoveries, and a sincere connection with Jewish tradition. This is how the next generation of Jews in Ukraine is raised.”

We are pleased to support the Dnipro Jewish Community and all of their extraordinary efforts particularly over the past 4½ years. Together we save lives and restore hope.

09/28/2026

As Jews in Ukraine celebrated the first two days of Sukkot, devastating drone strikes on Kyiv hit a 16-story apartment building, nursery school, business centers, and a warehouse. The attacks killed seven people, including a 14-year-old boy, and injured dozens more. Other parts of the country were also targeted, damaging a postal facility in Odessa, a medical clinic in Eastern Ukraine, and fuel stations and railway networks elsewhere.

The relentless attacks over the past couple of months have had a dramatic impact on the residents of Ukraine. Strikes occur at all times of day and night, disrupting daily life including school and work. Most troubling is the reality that winter is just around the corner, bringing dangerously cold weather. Last year, thousands of people fled Kyiv for weeks on end, and those who remained in the city endured life-threatening conditions, particularly the elderly and infirm.

We have been busy over the past several months helping residents prepare for winter and trying to allay their concerns. The damage to infrastructure and energy facilities are expect to once again create difficult conditions, with widespread power outages and disrupted water supplies. Large scale industrial generators will be needed to power community centers and schools, and smaller battery packs for personal will be essential for survival. Additionally, bomb shelters must remain fully stocked and equipped, in residential and public buildings.

Our emergency humanitarian aid program will continue to provide critical support to tens of thousands of Jews in Ukraine, including food, clothing, shelter, medicine, medical care and more. We will provide fuel and maintenance for the large generators we installed, and we will distribute thermoses, blankets, batteries, and flashlights for families.

We are grateful for the tireless efforts of our staff and volunteers, and the generous donors who make it possible. Together we save lives and restore hope.

09/25/2026

All across Ukraine, Jews will celebrate Sukkot, the “festival of the harvest” or the “festival of huts,” with joy, commemoration, and unity.

Sukkot is the most joyous of holidays, filled with fun, traditions, and ceremonies: “[a]nd you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a splendid tree, branches of palm trees, and boughs of a thick-leaved tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the L-rd your G-d for seven days” (Vayikra 23).

Over the past few weeks our staff and volunteers have been busy preparing for holiday, including distributing sets of “four species” or “four kinds” to thousands of families: an etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two aravot (willow twigs)

Throughout the holiday, candles will be lit, meals will be eaten in the Sukkah, and prayers will be said over the lulav and etrog. In many cities and villages, large Sukkot will be erected, where people will enjoy communal meals and celebrations.

During this very special time of year, we are reminded that “all Jews are responsible for one another” (Talmud, Shevuot 39a). It is an honor and privilege to help the Jews of Ukraine endure these challenging times, showing them that they are not alone and not forgotten.

Together we save lives and restore hope.

09/23/2026

Over the past few months, more and more residents of Kyiv are settling in for the night on the cold floors of the metro stations rather than in their warm beds. In the past, people awoken in the middle of the night by blaring air raid sirens, would get dressed, grab their things, and run to a shelter. But now, because many attacks begin with ballistic missiles, that are much faster and harder to intercept than drones and can reach Kyiv within two minutes, people have become more proactive.

Instead of waiting for an alert, people are going underground in advance, before the first siren is heard. After finishing their day at work, people head for the metro, lay out their mattresses and sleeping bags, and prepare to spend the night underground.

The metro floors are not conducive to a good night’s sleep, as it is often coId and loud inside the stations. But given the alternative, getting caught running for shelter in the middle of an attack, or worse, not making it to a shelter before the strikes occur, thousands of people give up their warm comfortable beds for a spot on the cold, hard floor in the noisy metro station. On some nights more than 50,000 people head underground, including young children, and pets.

We continue to provide humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of people across Ukraine, including food, medicine, medical care, shelter and more. Together we save lives and restore hope.

09/22/2026

Rabbi Avraham Wolff’s phone rang before dawn. The first word he heard was “bombs.” One hundred and twenty-four children, the middle of the night, bomb shelters. Alina Chubatova, the Director of the Mishpacha Orphanage in Odessa, Ukraine, told me the caregivers were up within minutes. “Nobody needed instructions,” she said. “Everyone knew what to do. Everyone knew the children were watching them, and that if they fell apart, the children would fall apart. So they didn’t fall apart.”

Twenty-three of the children at the orphanage have no relatives anywhere in the world: no parent, no grandparent, no distant uncle to call in an emergency. Among the 23, for whom Rabbi Wolff, Chief Rabbi of Odessa, and his wife, Chaya, have taken personal and official responsibility (legal guardianship), are Danny and Mendy.

Danny was born in December 2018 (and given the name Deni), to a young woman who disappeared when the boy was just 18 months old. She did not die, was not hospitalized, did not move to another city; she walked away one day and never came back. He was in the Ukrainian orphanage system for several years; Danny is on the autism spectrum. His brother, Mendy (originally named Anton), born one year later, also came to the orphanage when his mother again disappeared.

Rabbi Wolff explained, “They told us there were two Jewish children. There was nothing to think about. We took them. [J]ewish children, they have no one. This is what we do. Period.”

Read more: www.jrnu.org/news/odessa-orphanage-a-remarkable-family-even-in-times-of-crisis

09/16/2026

All across Ukraine, Jews celebrated the arrival of the year 5787 on a grand scale. Thousands of people participated in prayers and festive meals, heard the shofar blowing, performed the Tashlich ceremony, and together greeted the New Year in an atmosphere of unity, and hope for a good and sweet year.

One of the central events of Rosh Hashanah, the shofar blowing, was heard in synagogues throughout Ukraine, from Uzhhorod to Dnipro, by families with children, young adults, and elderly people.

During this important holiday, special attention was given to children, who along with their parents, have endured a great deal over the past several years. Kids celebrated the traditions of the Jewish New Year with fun and engaging activities, and enjoyed many tasty treats as well.

“Rosh Hashanah is a special time when every Jew turns to the Almighty with a prayer for a good and sweet year for themselves, their family, our community, our city, and all of Ukraine. It is very important that on these days many thousands of people were able to pray together, hear the shofar, share festive meals, and feel themselves part of a great Jewish family,” said Chief Rabbi of Dnipro, Shmuel Kaminezki. He continued, “this unity, care for one another, and faithfulness to Jewish tradition are the most important values of the united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro.”

We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers who made the holiday memorable and fulfilling; and we thank our generous donors who make it possible. Together we save lives and restore hope.

Address

2307 S. Rural Road
Tempe, AZ
85282

Telephone

+17039444077

Website

http://www.jrnu.org/

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