(DENVER) — In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, JEWISHcolorado has joined the Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) $16 million emergency campaign to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Jewish populations living in Ukraine. Funds will be allocated to JEWISHcolorado’s global partners, including the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), World ORT, and others who are on the ground in Ukraine, and will provide critical welfare where it is needed most to protect and safeguard Ukraine’s Jewish community, as well as Jews in neighboring countries.

Funds will be directed to critical needs in vulnerable Jewish populations, community security, temporary housing for displaced persons, emergency needs in Jewish schools, and aliyah-related assistance.

There are approximately 200,000 members of Ukraine’s Jewish community, which boasts close to 300 Jewish organizations dispersed over some 100 towns and cities. Since the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, they have been profoundly affected by political and economic instability, and the Jewish Federations together with their partner agencies have provided ongoing support to this vulnerable population for communal needs, programming, and humanitarian aid.

“This work is urgent. We are concerned about the Ukrainian people, especially the Jewish community there., because we know that whenever and wherever one Jew is threatened, we are all threatened,” said JEWISHcolorado President and CEO Rabbi Jay Strear. “We stand with our global partners in condemning this action by Russia, and we will work together with them so that support can be mobilized as quickly as possible.