CSI employee Alina reports on aid measures on site:
„I managed to get a few hours of sleep between 3 and 6 a.m., the sleep of exhaustion. But the sirens were blaring all night, even here in W. Attacks are being carried out in various locations across the country. The situation is very chaotic. My daughter has been stuck at her workplace in Odessa, just outside the city, for three days now. It's too dangerous to get on a train right now because more attacks are expected in the area.
There's still some stock at the wholesale market, Metro, but the retail stores are pretty much sold out.
Igor set off last night with several refugee families and only arrived in western Ukraine after 20 hours. The journey normally takes four hours. The highway is usually two lanes in each direction, but at the moment all four lanes are full of vehicles fleeing west. People wanting to travel in the opposite direction are using the bypasses.
My friends in Poland say the border crossings are open, but the queues are long.
People have been calling me all day. I'm trying to calm them down and comfort them. A woman from our sponsorship program in Chernihiv called, completely distraught with tears. She wanted us to bring her to Israel to her children as soon as possible. I reassured her that she should stay where she is for now and that she can call me anytime. Right now, the roads are so congested that you can't get through anywhere. We'll have to wait a while. Thankfully, she has supplies. We also sent emergency supplies there in the last few days.
Everyone who isn't a refugee themselves has taken in refugees. I've had eight people from Mariupol staying with me, and my parents have also taken in several people.„
We are very grateful that Rabbi P. and his congregation are able to celebrate Shabbat today amidst the chaos of war and provide refugees with a warm meal
Many thanks to everyone who has already helped! Your donation makes a real difference, especially in the hotspots. Our team is on the ground providing emergency shelter and hot meals to those in need and refugees.
We have set up a special emergency fund to help the Jewish communities in Ukraine with food, emergency accommodation and with their departure to Israel.
How can you help specifically?
Food for one week: €50
Emergency accommodation for one week: €100
Evacuation of a Ukrainian Jew to Israel: €150
You can donate here: https://csi-aktuell.de/spenden/
Shabbat Shalom, may the supernatural peace of God be with us all!
