Will you restore joy and dignity to Jewish families suffering the trauma of war in Ukraine?
For over two years war has raged in Ukraine. Lives changed in an instant; families torn apart.
Families in Ukraine have now seen more than two years of hurt and pain, two years of damage and devastation, two years of fear and uncertainty. As many of us listen to the rambunctious sound of graggers this Purim, parents in Ukraine comfort their children terrified by sound of air raid sirens and bombs landing.
This Purim, let’s help children and families suffering the trauma of a war that has been playing out day after day for over two years. With your support we can bring joy and restore dignity to their lives. Will you help Jewish families suffering the trauma of war in Ukraine ?
Watch Olga and Elena’s Stories this Purim
This Purim, listen to the whole story of Jewish families’ experience of war in Ukraine.
Olga and her children, Lev and Melissa, were forced to flee when war broke out. Lev and Melissa, aged 12 and 6, have been struggling to cope with the trauma.
Elena has three children and cares for her elderly father, Viktor, who had a stroke. When war broke out, life changed in an instant. Living in occupied Kherson there was no work, food or water.
Find out how World Jewish Relief is providing life-changing support.
How We Help
Our Building Stronger Families program is there for mothers and children to deal with the ongoing effects of war. The trauma children have suffered is immense, so one-to-one counselling sessions, family support sessions, therapy through art, music and a safe space to talk, are critical in helping children cope.
The issues children in Ukraine face are grave. This hasn’t been a week or a month, this has been over two years of ongoing trauma. That’s a lot to unpack and a lot of support is needed. We help mothers back into work to ensure they can pay the rent and bills; we provide additional support to parents so that they can slowly bring their children back to some kind of normality. We help them feel like a family again.
With your support this Purim, we will be able to help hundreds of Jewish Ukrainian families suffering from the ongoing trauma of war.
Olga’s Story
Olga had a good job in Ukraine and life with her husband and two children was good. They were happy and successful, and a Jewish family of four just like yours or mine… and then everything changed.
When war broke out Olga only had one focus – to protect her children. To keep them safe and find a way to keep them all alive. Just like Esther.
“They were destroying everything, absolutely everything. They were killing people with no aim but pain.”
Olga knew they had to flee. Just days after they escaped, shelling destroyed the basement shelter they had been living in and their town was flattened.
They were lucky but they didn’t feel lucky. Even now, when Olga hears an air raid siren, she cowers in the corner with her children gripped tight, scared of what may happen next.
For Lev and Melissa, Olga’s children, the impact is extreme. They are both terrified and haven’t been able to attend school for four years. It breaks Olga’s heart to see her once happy children, now so sad.
Thanks to our Building Stronger Families program, we were able to provide counselling, education, and financial support to Olga and her family. Olga can already see a change in her children. They have been happier and more able to cope.
“I’m proud to be Jewish and proud of our people who do not leave you in difficult times but reach out a helping hand.”
Olga’s family are just one of the hundreds that we are currently supporting in Ukraine. Jewish families just like us, living under constant threat, trying to rebuild their lives. This Purim, will you help Jewish families like Olga’s cope with the trauma of war?
