World Jewish Relief, supported by the UK’s leading Jewish communal agencies, has launched a Ukraine Crisis Appeal in response to the rapidly deteriorating situation on the country’s border with Russia. The latest reports indicate that over 150,000 Russian troops surround Ukraine’s border, and forces have now been deployed inside Eastern Ukraine.

From 22 October to 4 November, JW3’s celebrated kosher restaurant Zest, in partnership with World Jewish Relief, will be turning yellow and blue as a celebration of all things Ukrainian. The Taste of Ukraine extravaganza is being held to coincide with Liberation Day in Ukraine on 28th October.

The world looks on with mounting concern as political and military tensions between Russia and the West, that threaten Ukraine, grow. After 8 years of frozen conflict between the two countries, the horror of war lingers on. Over 14,000 people killed, upwards of 1 million people displaced in Ukraine, access to separatist controlled areas fraught with challenge and now a risk of significant escalation.

We have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that has poured in for our participants, partners and friends in Ukraine. At such distressing times, it is understandable that everyone wants to do what they can to help - but some actions can have more impact than others.

In mid-January I had the opportunity to travel to Kharkov and visit the projects World Jewish Relief is supporting and leading there.

Working through our partners, World Jewish Relief is prioritising emergency evacuations, helping those who are displaced to find shelter and gain access to food and medical supplies and for those who are housebound, we are ensuring they continue to receive critical homecare. So far, our support has reached over 111,000 people with a particular focus on the most vulnerable groups.

In Ukraine, I saw first hand how World Jewish Relief's work providing homecare and empowering people with disabilities is challenging the country's status quo. The last time Diana tried to go to the shops, she slipped on the concrete staircase and lay on the floor for hours until a neighbour found her. She has been too scared to leave her house since.

As it is widely reported that Russia has 100,000 soldiers on its border with Ukraine, we are in close contact with our local partners in the country and prepared to scale up our support for them at any moment. Today’s report that Russia is pulling back some of its troops is of little reassurance to our client group, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine, for whom memories of violence in 2014 are still fresh.

After the destruction of Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine on June 6th, 77 settlements along the Dnipro River were flooded and water contamination from sewage, pollution, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals pose a major health risk. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are without clean drinking water.