Archives

Jewish youth raising money for Ukraine

Ukraine Telethon at the Central Synagogue to Aid Ukrainian Jews in Crisis

The Joint Australia, in collaboration with The Central Synagogue and the Australian Zionist Youth Council have united to adopt a ‘sister community’ in Odessa, Ukraine with a successful Charidy call-a-thon kicking off last Sunday morning.

Eighty volunteers, mostly members of our youth, prioritised this mission and invested both time and energy to reach out to our generous community to raise much needed funds. Every dollar raised will be immediately directed towards the urgent care and needs of 120 displaced Jewish children from the Mishpacha Orphanage of Odessa currently in Berlin, and also for the wider Jewish community within the Ukraine.

Ukraine Telethon at the Central Synagouge to Aid Ukrainian Jews In Crisis

There was a strong sense of camaraderie in the Central ‘call centre’. All on donation duty took their roles seriously, recognising the huge impact each dollar will have during these dire and desperate times. Some novice practiced calls to parents prior to dialling members and then confidently delivered their rationale for requests. All quickly found their rhythm and the overarching purpose added momentum and urgency.

Hineni Youth, Bnei Akiva, along with other representatives from our younger demographic in addition to parents, Kesser Torah College and so many others united. Day One was heart-warming and over $100,000 was raised with more donations to follow.

Rabbi Avraham Wolff is the Chief Rabbi of Odessa and has overseen the evacuation of these brave children – from babies to teens, with war still raging daily.

telethon for Ukrainian jews

Ukraine Telethon

Telethon for Ukrainian refugees

Ukranian Holocaust Survivor

Ukrainian Holocaust Survivors Find Support with JDC

A group of dedicated JDC workers have chosen to remain in Odesa, to offer comfort and support to Ukrainian Holocaust survivors even as rockets continue to rain down. One of them is Inna Vdovichenko. Below are some of Inna’s reflections on what life is like in Ukraine today and the important role JDC plays – caring for elderly and vulnerable families, sustaining a sense of community and helping internally displaced Jews.

Ukranian Holocaust Survivors

Interview with Inna Vdovichenko, JDC in Odesa

Where are you right now? I’m sitting next to a window in my office, I try to come in almost every day.

What is it like on the streets? Normally, Odesa is full of summer tourists. Today, the “visitors” are internally displaced people. The first few days of the war, people were in shock, no-one believed this could happen. Now people are more used to it, but it’s still unpredictable and anxiety inducing.

How are you coping? I made my first home visit on the fifth day of the crisis. I felt I had to do something, otherwise I would not feel alive. Most of the people JDC serves are still here, and today there are even more people that need help. My work is one of the reasons I haven’t left Odesa. I visit elderly Holocaust survivors who haven’t left their apartments in months, and our time together makes a meaningful difference to them.

What are your hopes for the future? I don’t know what I will do or feel “when this is over.” Everything is so intense right now. Will I be able to rest? I don’t know. Personally, I want to see my family. Professionally, I want to meet with the people who have been sustaining me all this time: colleagues, board members, supporters. It’s impossible to say how many people reached out to me; I want to hug them and say “thank you.”

What does JDC’s support mean to the Jews of Odesa at this time? When I speak to the people we help, I hear again and again, “JDC gives us life.”

JDC continues to assist thousands of Jews in Odesa and the surrounding region. Thank you for being there for Inna and supporting all in her embrace. 

 

Jewish Summer Program

Bringing Summer Joy to Ukrainian Children

Even as fighting, uncertainty, and despair continue to rage, JDC continues to uphold its mission, bringing relief to the vulnerable. This summer will be no exception for Ukrainian children and families. The JDC continues its tradition of providing Jewish summer programs even under the clouds of war.

Children and teens across the former Soviet Union and Europe look forward to JDC’s summer programs all year. This summer we are working extra hard to bring this taste of normalcy to the children and teens of Ukraine, whose lives have been upended by the war.

Across Europe, communities are opening their summer camps to Ukrainian refugees. In Estonia, refugee children even joined the community’s April spring camp, held a mere two months after the war began. Estonia’s summer day camp staff includes a Jewish Sunday School teacher, herself a refugee from Ukraine.   

In Poland, the community’s annual family camp will feature a tri-lingual program – in Polish, Russian, and English – to better facilitate communication between refugees and Polish-speaking campers. Poland will also host a day camp for some 60 Ukrainian children, ages 7-17. Camp will combine fun with academic classes in Polish, English and math to prepare campers for the Polish school system they will be entering in September.

In Ukraine itself, JDC plans on hosting three Family Retreats in quieter areas of the country. We are also organizing summer activities for some 400 Jewish children and teens through our Active Jewish Teens initiative. Lastly, over 100 members of the Odessa community will be traveling to Romania, which is hosting Odessa’s JCC Migdal annual Family Retreat.  

Over 800 Ukrainian Jews to take part in 20+ JDC summer activities in Ukraine and Europe

Thank you for bringing much-needed summer joy to Ukraine’s Jewish children, teens, and families.

Jewish Summer Program
The JDC-supported Spring Camp in Estonia welcomes refugees, April 2022
Ukraine's Jews

This Passover tell the story of Ukraine’s Jews

Passover is at the heart of JDC’s work — and this year, the holiday’s moving and powerful story of exodus is more relevant than ever.

As we watch the gripping scenes of Jews fleeing their homes in Ukraine and seeking safety further west and in new lands, we are reminded of the Israelites’ hasty flight from the dangers of Egypt.

Ukraine's Jews
A family at a JDC refugee camp in Vadul lui Vodà, Moldova.

This year, we invite you to bring the experiences of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters to your Seder table by downloading this special reading – a poignant way to fulfill the Haggadah’s commandment to see ourselves as having personally come out of Egypt.

Right now, we’re continuing the work that has guided JDC since 1914 — saving Jewish lives and building Jewish life — as we ensure that this Passover will be a meaningful one for Ukraine’s Jews, despite the conflict and uncertainty.

Just as we’ve done for decades, we’ll be distributing matzah in Ukraine, the former Soviet Union, and across Europe — this year, using Israeli planes to ensure the needed supplies are delivered on time.

Building on our proud history of holding public Seders two years before the Soviet Union collapsed, we’ll be hosting holiday meals for more than 2,300 refugees and Jewish community members in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, and Romania.

And we’ll continue to look with pride and admiration at the generation of young leaders we’ve trained over the years — many of whom are actively engaged in their Jewish communities’ response to this crisis, including leading Seders and other programs to create meaningful holiday experiences at this historic moment.

Passover asks us to see ourselves in the story. This year, just as we invite in Elijah, let’s bring the voices of this Ukraine crisis to our tables by downloading this special JDC supplement, designed to be read at your Seder.

Together — this Passover and every day — we can show our global Jewish family that we see them, we will continue to support them, and they are never alone.

The Joint’s Coronavirus Response – Global Interim Report August 2020

The Joint Australia COVID-19 Update – 21 August 2020

The Joint’s Coronavirus Response – Global Interim Report August 2020

Good afternoon Joint Supporter

The coronavirus pandemic has affected every single one of us in different ways. Jewish communities everywhere are struggling to respond to increased needs of isolated elderly and newly unemployed, while still helping the people they were caring for before the crisis. Your gift has helped immensely in relieving the pandemic’s crushing effect for thousands of people, in the many countries and communities where the Joint works.


Your gift, or future gift during our upcoming Spring campaign, to the Joint’s Coronavirus Response has circled the globe.  From Israel to Moldova, from Argentina to Ethiopia, your support has saved lives and touched countless more – whether by making the pandemic bearable, empowering people to act, or creating new ways to build and maintain community.  We thank you profoundly for taking action amidst this unprecedented crisis.

The Joint Australia wishes you Shabbat Shalom and a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,


Eva Fischl OAM 
President


Philip Bos
National Director

Brett Kaye
Victorian Director

Please show your support in helping The Joint continue to provide its lifesaving services in these unprecedented times.

Donate Today

Get Involved with The Joint!
There are many ways to take action: Follow our Facebook page, sign up for our global update, make a gift, volunteer or travel with us, or alert your network about The Joint’s lifesaving work around the world.

The Joint Australia
P.O. Box 3229
Tamarama, NSW 2026
Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 683 653
Website: thejoint.org.au

The Joint cultivates a Jewish future

The Joint Australia COVID-19 Update – 26 June 2020

The Joint cultivates a Jewish future

Good afternoon Joint Supporter

As you may know The Joint:

  1. Provides aid to vulnerable Jews
  2. Cultivates a Jewish Future
  3. Empowers all Israelis
  4. Rescues Jews in Danger
  5. Leads the Jewish Response to Global Crises

Here is one of many ways that The Joint Cultivates a Jewish Future.

“Our youth are our future” – look at how The Joint makes that maxim a reality.

These short and very sweet videos show The Joint’s youth division AJT (Active Jewish Teens) in action. This is one of many programs by which The Joint ensures Jewish continuity.

By investing in our youth and building leaders, we safeguard the future of Jewish communities, in over 70 countries and of course Israel, where we are the largest NGO.

The Joint AJT members are proud Jews, and the future of the Jewish people; and one antidote to assimilation.

In Belarus The Joint ‘Active Jewish Teens’ – Belarus or
in Venezuela The Joint ‘Active Jewish Teens’ – Venezuela

The Joint Australia wishes you Shabbat Shalom and a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,


Eva Fischl OAM 
President


Philip Bos
National Director

Brett Kaye
Victorian Director

Please show your support in helping The Joint continue to provide its lifesaving services in these unprecedented times.

Donate Today

Get Involved with The Joint!
There are many ways to take action: Follow our Facebook page, sign up for our global update, make a gift, volunteer or travel with us, or alert your network about The Joint’s lifesaving work around the world.

The Joint Australia
P.O. Box 3229
Tamarama, NSW 2026
Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 683 653
Website: thejoint.org.au

No place to call home

The Joint Australia COVID-19 Update – 19 June 2020

WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2020 – WITHOUT A HOME BUT NOT WITHOUT A HOPE

For 106 years, The Joint has been the global Jewish 000, putting Jewish values into action when the world needs it most. When Jewish refugees and other displaced people have been forced from their homes by violence or persecution, compassionate Jews like you have been there, working through The Joint to provide them with a lifeline.

World Refugee Day is this Saturday.

Meri Zegelman is just one of over a million displaced Jewish people The Joint has helped in their time of need. When war broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, she and her husband, Leonid, both Holocaust survivors, had to flee their hometown of Luhansk carrying only two small suitcases.

What they thought would be a two-week evacuation in Kharkiv became permanent. Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, The Joint was able to provide food, medicine, and emotional support, helping the Zegelman’s rent and get settled into a new apartment. Meri quickly became a vital member of the Kharkiv Jewish community; now a Joint volunteer, she leads a group of other elderly Jews who gather for food, conversation, holiday celebrations, and more.

“LIFE FELT LIKE IT HAD COLLAPSED FOR US.  BUT THANKS TO THE JOINT, WE STILL FEEL LIKE JEWS AND WE STILL FEEL NEEDED” – Meri Zegelman

Today, with COVID-19 making in-person gatherings impossible, Meri continues to hold her newfound community together with phone calls, video chats, and an online cooking class she teaches about Jewish cuisine.

Every life is priceless, and each life we lift up enriches countless others. That’s why we do what we do.

Once again, the world is in turmoil. But together, we can ensure that the global Jewish 000 is still there to help.

Thank you for your support — and for standing with refugees and all other displaced people.

The Joint Australia wishes you Shabbat Shalom and a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,


Eva Fischl OAM 
President


Philip Bos
National Director

Brett Kaye
Victorian Director

Please show your support in helping The Joint continue to provide its lifesaving services in these unprecedented times.

Donate Today

Get Involved with The Joint!
There are many ways to take action: Follow our Facebook page, sign up for our global update, make a gift, volunteer or travel with us, or alert your network about The Joint’s lifesaving work around the world.

The Joint Australia
P.O. Box 3229
Tamarama, NSW 2026
Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 683 653
Website: thejoint.org.au

An open letter to the Australian Jewish community – Global world rescue

The Joint Australia COVID-19 Update – 12 June 2020

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AUSTRALIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY, INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN A GLOBAL WORLD RESCUE OF OUR PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE COVID-19 CRISIS.  HELP US TO HELP THEM.

  • The Covid-19 Crisis has The Joint on the front line, rescuing Jews facing medical, social and economic duress.
  • We are rescuing those affected by Corona, while still undertaking our 1,400 programs in over 70 countries including Israel, where we are the largest NGO.
  • Assist NOW, so that our Jewish brothers & sisters have a future life after Corona that “doesn’t go backwards”.
  • Please plan your Chesed and philanthropy to include us.
    Follow our program as we make future announcements.

         

Eva Fischl OAM
President
The Joint Australia

Eva’s PS: I do feel that, as our sages teach us: “Kol Yisrael areivim ze ba’zeh.  All Jews are responsible for one another”.  I trust that you agree.

________________________________________________________________________________

For over 106 years, The Joint (JDC) operates in five main areas:

  • Helping the World’s Neediest Jews in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), Eastern and Central Europe, Africa and India
  • Empowering all Israelis
  • Building Jewish Life & Leaders
  • Rescuing Jews in Danger
  • Tikun Olam – helping non-Jewish world in times of natural disaster

Please visit our new website thejoint.org.au to make a donation or to learn more about The Joint.

The Joint Australia wishes you Shabbat Shalom and a safe and enjoyable weekend.

________________________________________________________________________________

Please show your support in helping The Joint continue to provide its lifesaving services in these unprecedented times.

Donate Today

Get Involved with The Joint!
There are many ways to take action: Follow our Facebook page, sign up for our global update, make a gift, volunteer or travel with us, or alert your network about The Joint’s lifesaving work around the world.

The Joint Australia
P.O. Box 3229
Tamarama, NSW 2026
Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 683 653
Website: thejoint.org.au

Israel Update

The Joint Australia COVID-19 Update – 22 May 2020

Israel Update from The Joint

Good afternoon Joint Supporter

I hope that you are well in these trying times.

Please read this Israel update on the way The Joint is adapting to the needs in Israel.

The Joint Australia wishes you Shabbat Shalom and a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,


Eva Fischl OAM 
President


Philip Bos
Executive Director

Please show your support in helping The Joint continue to provide its lifesaving services in these unprecedented times.

Donate Today

Get Involved with The Joint!
There are many ways to take action: Follow our Facebook page, sign up for our global update, make a gift, volunteer or travel with us, or alert your network about The Joint’s lifesaving work around the world.

The Joint Australia
P.O. Box 3229
Tamarama, NSW 2026
Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 683 653
Website: thejoint.org.au

A moment of clarity

The Joint Australia COVID-19 Update – 15 May 2020

A moment of clarity, by Executive Director, Philip Bos

Good afternoon Joint Supporter

I hope that you are well in these trying times.  I wanted to share with you all, this personal moment of clarity I experienced, which I hope you can take the time to reflect on.

During my life, I have always found heroes fascinating. What drove them? Would I be as brave should I face similar challenges? Was it chance or active leadership, that placed such people in the crosshairs of life? A moment to do the right thing, or perhaps find oneself falling short of managing the impact of the threat.

Recently I learnt that there is far more to the concept of a hero, than performing at the moment. Allow me to explain:

The term ‘Corona Crisis’ is often used. When a Critical Incident is not managed, it worsens to become a crisis. It may even spiral out of control, on an global scale, to become a disaster.

At The Joint, we are not facing a crisis; because the impact of Corona is being managed by JDC staff. I call it a Managed Incident. That is not to say that the Corona impact is trivial, in fact, it is extreme in its effect and devastation. Still, I suspect that soon we may consider our new operating environment BaU – Business as Usual.

How is this so? Is it because of our 106-year history of coping with the worst that the world has thrown at The Joint? Yes, certainly in no small part. However, mostly, the answer lies in The Joint staff.  Not only have the staff of The Joint had to accommodate new and challenging personal and family circumstances, they also must ensure that they are match-fit for the most important work that a person can do – the protection of others.

A new definition of hero has emerged for me. It is not just the fast reaction to an emergency. Equally now for me, hero defines the dedicated staff of The Joint, who quietly and without fanfare, adapt and transform in response to incredible pressure. They do so with composure, as they continue to provide protection for those who cannot or struggle to fend for themselves.

The weeks and months of Corona continue and the efforts and expertise of field and office staff, relentlessly grind down the Corona “Crisis” into Corona BaU. This occurs individually and collectively.

The word hero comes from the Greek hērōs, literally “protector”. Each day as I read of The Joint’s work in protecting our people, pursuing the betterment of our Jewish brethren in need, is a day when I find myself in the company of hērōs. Whenever I face concern with the struggles at hand, should I introspect and falter; I remind myself that I am working with hērōs. That imbues confidence in me, for my future and that of The Joint’s clients. I feel restored.

They are our protectors and my inspiration.

 

The Joint Australia wishes you Shabbat Shalom and a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,


Eva Fischl OAM 
President


Philip Bos
Executive Director

Please show your support in helping The Joint continue to provide its lifesaving services in these unprecedented times.

Donate Today

Get Involved with The Joint!
There are many ways to take action: Follow our Facebook page, sign up for our global update, make a gift, volunteer or travel with us, or alert your network about The Joint’s lifesaving work around the world.

The Joint Australia
P.O. Box 3229
Tamarama, NSW 2026
Australia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1300 683 653
Website: thejoint.org.au