By staff and releases
The flag of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine this week, stating that their mission was the “denazification” of an democratically elected government with a Jewish president.
With the brutal invasion of Ukraine completing its second day, with Russian forces closing in on the capital city, Kyiv, Ukrainian Jews here are watching the situation unfold in their country, aghast at what is happening there.
One Ukrainian Jew living in Louisville, who asked not to be named, called the invasion “pure barbarity” and said the attack could not sit well with “anyone who is a human being.”
An estimated 200,000 Jews live in Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also is Jewish.
Local synagogue rabbis have said they will address the crisis in their sermons tonight.
On Thursday night, the Kentucky Institute for Torah Education held a 10-minute prayer for the people of Ukraine via Zoom.
The Jewish Family & Career Services will hold a discussion for any Jewish person affected by the invasion at 3 p.m., Monday, at Shalom Towers. Senior Director of Programs Mauri Malka will be the facilitator, and the talk will allow participants to react and respond to the fighting “in a supportive space through trauma-informed practices,” according to a JFCS release.
The digital news outlet ejewishphilanthopy is reporting that the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine is providing staples – nonperishable food water – to those in their community.
In this country, the Jewish Federations of North America, supported by the Jewish Federation of Louisville, has launched a $20 million campaign to support Ukrainian Jews. Amongx the uses for the money will be helping those who want to make aliyah, secure local and community institutions, maintain welfare services and set up an emergency hotline.