Today in Ukraine, there are more than 10,000 Holocaust survivors, the large majority of whom are moderately disabled and several hundred who are bedridden. These individuals receive substantial assistance from JRNU as well as several international organizations including the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (“Claims Conference”).
On the eve of the German invasion in 1941, Ukraine was home to one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, with approximately 2.7 million Jews living in the territory. An estimated 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews were murdered during World War II, more than any other country. Most of the Jews were shot to death near their homes; they were not deported to camps. One of the largest single massacres of the war occurred over two days in September 1941 at a ravine in Kyiv known as Babyn Yar where 33,771 Jews were killed; over the course of the war 150,000 people were killed at the site.
Sadly, while massacres like Babyn Yar are well-known, smaller-scale mass shootings occurred in hundreds of towns and villages across Ukraine. In addition to the German forces, local Ukrainian collaborators also played a role in identifying, rounding up, and murdering their Jewish neighbors.
The current crisis in Ukraine that began in February 2022, has created a dramatic increase in the need for assistance, among Holocaust survivors, as well as other senior citizens (and people of all ages). In addition to financial support, individuals required food deliveries, medical services, blankets and clothing, and other household needs. Some elderly residents had to relocate, including Vladimir and Nonna, born in 1936 and 1942, respectively, both of whom endured the trauma of World War II. Their home and their son’s home in Kharkov were destroyed in the early days of the conflict. Their son sent his wife and child abroad, but Vladimir and Nonna remained with their son who is disabled and cannot work. The three of them were resettled in Kropyvnytskyi where we support them with medications and regular food supplies.
Sofia Berkovich, a 93-year-old Auschwitz survivor, and Yakov Goldstein, a survivor of Transnistria, both live in Odessa where they are supported by JRNU staff and others in the local Jewish community. Ninety-year-old Olexandra, who lives alone in Chernihiv, receives meals, medication and other support from JRNU; several volunteers discovered the elderly grandmother one day sheltering in the basement of her building during an aerial attack. With tears in her eyes, the frightened woman spoke about the trauma from the second world war that was rekindled in the current crisis. JRNU now provides daily meals, medication and care for Olexandra. Seventy-eight-year-old Asya was born while her family was in hiding during the Second World War. Her family eventually settled in Chernihiv, where she has lived ever since. We provided food and medication to assist Asya, and we installed a new hot water heater to ensure Asya didn't freeze in her home.
With the arrival of winter in Ukraine, the needs of the people, including the elderly and the very young, as well as the infirm, are even more acute. JRNU staff and volunteers continue to provide life-saving support, made possible by our generous donors. Together we save lives and restore hope.
