SOS Ukraine
8000
People evacuated by CSI
6000 of them now live in Israel
10.000
Meals distributed throughout the month
Hope for thousands of people in need in 19 soup kitchens
Giving hope day after day in the midst of war
For more than 20 years, we have been on the ground in Ukraine, supporting Jewish communities. When war broke out in February 2022, our team was therefore well-connected and prepared – with supplies, accommodations, and vehicles. Despite great dangers and hardships, we have been helping Jewish people every day since:
✔ Hot meals and meals on wheels✔ Food aid directly at the hotspots
✔ Sponsorships for needy senior citizens and Holocaust survivors
✔ Evacuation to emergency shelters
✔ Support with Aliyah (immigration to Israel)
✔ Summer camps where children and teenagers can experience carefree moments
Since the start of the war, we have been able to help more than 6,000 Jews on their way to Israel. But many remain in Ukraine – despite air raid sirens, rocket fire, and wartime inflation. The elderly cling to their familiar surroundings until the very last moment, and many families refuse to leave without their fathers who have been drafted into the war effort. That is why our help is needed more than ever.
What an opportunity to be a friend to Ukrainian Jews now, in this time of need!
"Your help is so precious to me – ...
…all the more so because she comes from you Germans! So many of my family died in the war back then. And now I feel as if I'm being wrapped in love.”
Ludmila was rescued from burning Kharkiv by CSI at the start of the war in 2022 and now lives in Israel.
That we as Christians, with our German past, can stand alongside the Jewish communities in Ukraine today and heal old and new war wounds through practical help is a great privilege for me.
Anemone Rüger,
Project Management Holocaust Survivors
Questions for us
Before the current war, there were approximately 200,000 people of Jewish descent in Ukraine who were eligible to immigrate to Israel. This number has decreased due to the war, but fluctuates considerably depending on the current situation in the individual regions. Around 200 Holocaust survivors who were imprisoned in camps or ghettos still live in Ukraine, as well as approximately 12,000 Jewish children of the war who survived catastrophic conditions by fleeing, but lost close relatives in the Holocaust. The number of lonely and needy post-war children is much higher; they often never knew grandparents and have inherited their parents' trauma unfiltered. We help them through the local Jewish communities.
The densely populated Pale of Settlement, established by the Russian Tsars approximately 200 years ago, encompassed not only Ukraine but also Poland, Belarus, and Lithuania. However, during World War II, unlike in the Soviet Union, there was virtually no possibility of escape to the east in Poland; the Jewish community was almost completely wiped out. The economic situation of the relatively few remaining Jews in the aforementioned countries also differs from the plight in Ukraine. Therefore, we see a particular responsibility to help here. The situation is comparable in the small neighboring country of Moldova – which is why we now also support Jewish communities there, especially Holocaust survivors and elderly Jews. In Ukraine, Jews had a very positive image of Germans, stemming in part from experiences during World War I when German troops protected Jews from pogroms. This relationship of trust was tragically shattered during the Holocaust. Every visit, every act of assistance, is therefore an important opportunity to bring about healing.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, we were able to offer exchange trips to Ukraine several times a year. The end of the pandemic coincided with the beginning of the current war. For security reasons, it is unfortunately not possible to organize trips to Ukraine at the moment. Until further notice, we must delegate direct service in the Jewish communities to our team on the ground, who are courageously working there day after day – with all the support we can offer from afar.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, its planned economy, and the free social welfare system, a supply vacuum emerged, driving many Jews to leave the country. Many went to Israel, fulfilling age-old biblical promises. While this flow of emigration has decreased significantly, it has not ceased. Every week, our staff escort Ukrainian Jews to the nearest Israeli consulate on their way to Israel. Younger families and individuals are the ones most likely to take the step toward a new life. This has not changed even with the outbreak of war. However, for many families, this step is accompanied by a painful farewell – men of military age (with few exceptions) are not allowed to leave the country due to mobilization laws. Therefore, families often remain in the country as long as possible. For the older generation, this decision is even more difficult. In the Soviet Union – the country that shaped them – travel abroad was almost impossible. Even within the country, moving without permission was prohibited. Citizens received very little in cash. What the working population received from the state, however, was a condominium in one of the countless gray concrete apartment blocks. Often, today's senior citizens have spent their entire lives within these familiar, if not exactly beautiful, four walls. They are usually their only possession. Exchanging this for an uncertain future is an insurmountable burden for most. Furthermore, many second-generation survivors are deeply attached to their parents' graves. In Judaism, graves are not leveled. They remain a place of remembrance. Therefore, we seize every opportunity to support those in need wherever they require our assistance.
PRAYER – Our team has been working on the ground since the beginning of the war under extreme conditions – the sirens wail frequently, and the threat of air raids is ever-present. People are under immense pressure – fear for their loved ones, worry about the future, and the daily struggle for survival with scarce resources. Being able to provide effective help under these circumstances requires immense strength – and much prayer. “The prayers of our friends are our fuel,” says team leader Koen. Every prayer is important! DONATIONS – With your donation, our team brings Ukrainian Jews to safety. Your donation allows us to provide 4,000 hot meals a week and distribute thousands of food parcels worth €15 each month, which we purchase locally. With your donation, we help children and young people experience happy moments, even in times of hardship, and build their futures. And with €25 a month, you can directly support a needy Jewish senior citizen. Every donation counts!
Please donate directly through our donation page. Standing orders offer greater planning security. With €25 a month, you can directly support a needy Jewish senior citizen.
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