I am deeply grateful to bear witness to the important stories coming from my mission to the JCC of Krakow in support of Poland and Ukraine and to bear witness.
Thank you to Rabbi Jeremy Weisblatt of Temple Ohav Shalom in Allison Park outside Pittsburgh and to Rabbi David Ackerman of Beth Am Israel of Penn Valley, PA outside Philadelphia for graciously opening your shuls to me.
Help us help them. Please invite me to share this very Jewish and very human story with your community.
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.
This is my duffle bag, packed with supplies as part of the Hineini humanitarian mission to Poland. For years, it has been an intrepid companion. It brought my belongings to Jerusalem for my first year in rabbinical school; It was with me on my trip to Moscow and Siberia for Pesach. We will part company when I deliver it to the JCC in Krakow.
I hope it will find many more years of usefulness, a container of supplies for those in need in this troubled part of the world. It is only a bag, but it carries a message of peace.
Gathering supplies for the trip to Poland, in my study.
