Word of Ukrainian Jewry stranded and on the run while their homes burned sent waves of panic and trepidation on the international news landscape. Accounts of the horror went viral; of the wealthy turned destitute, of families torn apart, of children frightened and hungry. An acute aching filled the collective Jewish heart as the stories poured in. Funds were raised. Organizations, as well as heroic individuals, threw themselves into rescuing Yidden, softening the blows, and making a priority of saving their Yiddishkeit.

But the initial urgency has since collected dust, faded to an already forgotten tragedy, relegated to the back of our minds.

The Vaad Hatzalah for Ukrainian Jewry united for a historic mission. From May 29th to June 1st, the Vaad Hatzalah delegation came together, visiting five countries in three days to oversee the work that’s been done for the Ukrainian refugees thus far, and determined firsthand what has yet to be accomplished. They rose to the occasion in this moment in history, and they beseech us to do the same.

The refugees need our help. While they have successfully fled the war, their lives are far from normal. It’s up to us to resettle our brethren and put them back on their feet.

They were led by Vaad Hatzalah chairmen, R’ Menashe Frankel, R’ Bentzion Heitner, and R’ Reuven Wolf. 

The Vaad’s aim of the mission was twofold: it would both determine what the funds raised up until now have accomplished, and establish how much more was needed. Members included Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshivah, such as Rav Malkiel Kotler shlit”a, Rav Elya Brudny shlit”a, Rav Yudi Svei shlit”a, Rav Sholom Kamenetzky shlit”a, and Rabbi Yaakov Robinson shlit”a. In addition, there was a dedicated group of donors, who got to see their money hard at work.

So what did they find?

 “That’s my dining room. אין לי בית…”

When one little girl was asked where her house in Ukraine is, she responded in Hebrew, “אין לי בית”. Bystanders’ eyes welled with tears as she procured a worn photo from her pocket: a tall, imposing building with a missile shell conspicuously visible through the second floor, debris everywhere. She pointed to the missile-torn wall and said, “That’s my dining room. אין לי בית…”

“I came yesterday with a bag in my hand and my father is still stuck at home,” another young girl told R’ Naftali Miller of the Agudah in the Beit Ulpana. 

Rabbi Yaakov Robinson, Menahel of Midwest Agudas Yisroel Vaad Harabbanim, and Rav in Beis Medrash Mikor Hachaim, participated on the trip, and told of a wealthy businessman who possesses nothing but the two vehicles he used to shepherd his family over the border, leaving behind all of his assets, belongings, and his business.

Entire communities have been displaced, and are now searching for housing that would allow them to hold on to their lifeblood; their Rabbanim, friends, and for some, even their immediate family. 

Trip members told of children transplanted into warm, welcoming schools; yet an embrace cannot teach a foreign language and culture to a child. We all know how trauma can affect the inner workings of the human heart and mind. Will insurance cover the cost of therapists and social workers who speak Ukrainian?

The group traveled from Vienna to Berlin, filling thirsty souls with words of chizuk and love. Then Romania, Moldova, and finally Eretz Yisroel.

A stop of note was Beit Ulpana, a high school that has catered specifically to Ukrainian and Russian students for some time. Rabbi Robinson was asked to give the fresh refugees a bracha. He began by asking the girls to raise their hands if they had relatives in America. Not a single student did. Into the sea of shaking heads and blank faces, Rabbi Robinson thundered, “Wrong!” “You have droves and masses of sisters and brothers, every Jew in America is an immediate relative to all of you! We daven for you, worry about you, and donate to your cause. We each are the relatives you thought you never had.”

Can we step up to that plate? Can we fill the void for our lost and helpless brethren?

During the holocaust, it was gedolim the likes of Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Aharon Kotler, among the leaders and giants of the day. Entreating us, compelling us to rescue, resettle, and aid a battered nation.

Unfortunately, our brethren are once again under attack, stranded, on the run. Today, it’s our Gedolim and askanim appealing to the klal to step up and help put our brothers and sisters back on their feet.

We’re following our leaders. It’s our calling. 

Help us reach our goal of $50 Million, help us resettle and rebuild the lives of our very own brothers and sisters.

Consider the matter unsettled.

Please donate generously at vaadhatzalahrescue.org.