Category: Refugee

Why do these Kippot Cost so much?

Why do these kippot cost so much?

https://theradmal.com/kippah/

It is because we are trying to raise as much money as we can to help the victims of war.  We are not in the business of selling Kippot.

These kippot are unique and designed to represent the Sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine and a symbol of hope, in the Ukrainian national colors.  The Kippot are made in a fair trade arrangement with a Guatemalan Women’s cooperative; we want them compensated adequately.  Our goal is to get money to one of the influential NGOs in Poland, the JCC Krakow.

The JCC is dedicated to helping refugees in need, whether Jewish or not.  It is an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish community of Poland to lead in a time of crisis.  It is likewise an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish community of the United States to support the work.

Please help us with a generous donation and proudly wear a symbol of our humanity.  #standwithUkraine

Kippah

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/

What do I do?

It is overwhelmingly hard to watch others suffer.   This anguish drives some to act, while others feel helpless, turn their heads, and walk away.   But this response to inhuman suffering diminishes their humanity by ignoring what they see with their eyes and walking away. None of us can walk away. But what can we do?

I am going to Poland next week. I will bring everything I can muster, my chaplaincy skills, rabbinic skills, and mainly my humanity. I, and my colleagues, will each be carrying bags of supplies-food, clothing, medicine, toiletries. We will do what we can, knowing we cannot stop the suffering but helping those suffering through compassion and empathy. You can help too.

Contribute what you can to the humanitarian organizations on the ground, both here and there. The JCC in Krakow, Poland, Joint Distribution Committee, World Central Kitchen, and Doctors without Borders; are the places I support. Give what you can; the need is great.

I will come home with stories of all kinds, sad and heartbreaking, grateful. I want to share what I learn to help us better understand what is happening there and also to us. It is about humanity and our future. So invite me to your communities to share these stories so we remain aware and committed to helping others in need for their sake and ours.

 

 

 

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!