Category: Peace

Chag Pesach Sameach and Shabbat Shalom

 

Ha Lachma Anya

The bread of the Poor

Buses unloaded their precious cargo at the intake center, women and children from Lviv and Kyiv.  Bewildered, they started the process of finding refuge after escaping terror but leaving husbands and fathers behind to fight for Ukraine. We reached across the language barrier and handed the children lollipops. Like our children, they delighted in this unexpected treat. The smiles and laughter strengthened moms, and together they tentatively walked forward toward the refugee center (I cannot show faces to protect the identities of families left behind).

 

This is the poor person’s bread- a bread of hope and compassion. HaLachma Anya is the simple but profound gesture of giving something to those who have less, even when we do not have much to share. Together, we are one step closer to redemption.

Humanitarian trip for Ukrainians

Friends,

As many of you know, I am heading to Poland as part of a humanitarian mission with 25 other rabbis. The Hineini mission, as it is being called, is coordinated by Rabbi Jonathan Orenstein, executive director of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow. We will use the JCC in Krakow as our hub and go to the border helping in whichever ways we can.

My primary purpose is to support Ukrainian refugees and bear witness, listening to their stories and learning from them. I will bring these stories back home so we will all remain aware and committed to the ongoing needed support.

We continue to raise funds and supplies. We are approaching 2 tons of aid in our duffel bags and have $500k in financial donations so far.

The Mishkan was built with the donations of those who desired to give. If you are moved to help the refugees, donate to the JCC in Krakow, https://www.friendsofjcckrakow.org/, and let me know so we can add your contributions to the tally. Donations sent to me at Jewish Relationships Initiative will be forwarded to the JCC Krakow or the JDC.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi David Levin

Friends of JCC Krakow is a 501c3.

https://www.friendsofjcckrakow.org/

The land of the free means something

The  United States must be a haven to asylum seekers.  People fleeing war and violence must be provided safe harbor here.  My people, the Jews, were turned away and the consequences were devastating.  100,000 Ukrainians is a start.  The bureaucratic red tape must give way to an open door to give immediate refuge.

We must help those wretched huddled masses yearning to breathe free.  This is more than a slogan on the base of a statue, it is the aspiration of our land.  We must be color blind, sensitive to the desperate plight of these people whether they come here from the war-torn streets of Ukraine, Honduras, or Guatemala.

If America is the leader of the free world, then President Zelenskiy is correct; we must be the leader of peace.

 

 

Hineini- Standing with Ukraine

The preparation continues. Many of us bring duffle bags. It is a beautiful way to deliver needed supplies and an excellent way for a community to come together and help others.

However, please donate money to the humanitarian organizations on the ground. Then they can leverage your money to get more supplies over there. It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but buying wholesale works!

And there are domestic ways to help. Rabbi Shmuley Yaklowitz is assisting refugees in Arizona, and HIAS is helping people too. So, find a way for you to connect meaningfully, and please give.

Thank you for everything so far!