One Refugee Worker In Moldova Discusses Her Lifesaving Work With Jewish Refugees
Since the war in Ukraine Liudmila MeSincchina has worked tirelessly as part of JDC’s Ukraine crisis response, bringing food, medicine, and hope to Ukraine’s Jews.
Host. Therapist. Driver. These three terms, and more, described Liudmila when she was Logistics Coordinator at the JDC-supported Dacia Marin refugee centre in Vadul lui Vodă, Moldova. Now she is revealing the JDC’s refugee response, her own JDC story, and the values that power her life-saving mission.
Here is her story in its entirety:
The refugees arrive without a change of clothes. They are exhausted, angry, and terrified. But I welcome them, make them feel at home, and take care of logistics.
Almost all their stories are the same, aside from small differences. All of them escaped, some with their children and elderly parents. And everyone wants to return home. Like anyone would, they want to get back to a sense of normalcy.
My responsibilities are many: I welcome refugees, distribute food, provide accommodation, and coordinate logistics for people’s eventual departure. Me and my team also provide mental and physical support––some people aren’t mobile–––and entertain the children: Everyone gets individual attention.
We give all we can to ease their pain. I gather clothes and shoes for the children and elderly. And after a few days, they calm down. They see that people like me are here who help, to help process their documents, help purchase their tickets, help with whatever they need, emotional, physical, and spiritual.
We don’t just treat the whole person––we help their animals, too, if they have them. Many people bring pets, so we have to help transport them by air. We also give people the contacts of veterinary services which can microchip and vaccinate animals.
I bring more than 15 years of Jewish organizational experience to this work, and, in a strange, imperfect parallel to the people I help, my own pain brought me here.
It all began at the JDC-supported Kedem Jewish Cultural Center in Chișinău. When he was little, my son enjoyed the kids’ activities there, and I felt like I wanted to share a part of myself there, too.
Around that time, I had just turned 50, and I had needed cancer surgery. My surgery happened on almost the same day as my 50th. The doctors told me the operation had happened at just the right time. On top of that, my husband and I divorced when my son was four; I raised my little boy on my own a single mother.
Alone and stressed, my Jewish life gave me strength and community. And throughout this time, JDC provided unceasing support. Eventually, I was invited to come work at Kedem. They knew my skillset, and thought I could contribute a lot. I worked my way up to become Kedem’s, Chief Administrator. And since I studied developmental and child psychology, I know how to communicate with people of different ages. I still work there to this day: All’s well that ends well.
This experience has allowed me to give the people here the best possible assistance.
And here in Moldova, we’re seeing the results right in front of our eyes. Thanks to JDC, many people have already left to start new lives. Bit by bit, we have streamlined our system to meet everyone’s needs quickly and effectively. Moving countries is confusing and bureaucratic at the best of times. In the throes of crisis, it feels nearly impossible.
Luckily, JDC helps people every step of the way.
At night, my head is full of thoughts about whether people managed to get to their destinations, if they’re safe if they’re happy. I am so glad when they call me with good news. Because of these worries, I can hardly sleep.
Yemen Jews on the tarmac making their way to Israel. Photo credit: JDC Archives.
Chances are you might have heard of the modern exodus of the Jews of Ethiopia during Operations Moses and Solomon, which together airlifted some 22,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel over 1984-1985, which was an astonishing feat for its time.
However, there also happens to be another mass evacuation of Jews that occurred some 35 years before.
The dramatic exodus in question is the post WW2 evacuation (referred to as Operation Magic Carpet) of over 48,000 Jews from Yemen from 1949-1950.
So why was this evacuation so significant?
For Yemen Jews, life in the 20th century was for the most part, desolate. They were categorised as second-class citizens, having gradually seen their rights and autonomy crumble over generations.
In fact, life as a Jew in Yemen had been like this for a while.
By multiple accounts, it is believed that the Jewish community in Yemen had been established since the turn of the second century. Yemenite Jews have their own customs and practice of Judaism dating back to this period and are in that sense unlike Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and other Jewish groups.
One Yemenite Jewish legend tells that Jews came to the Arab Peninsula during the reign of King Solomon, having sent Jewish merchants to Yemen to prospect for gold and silver. A southern Yemenite Jewish (Habban) tradition details their descendants belonging to a brigade sent by Herod the Great to assist the Roman legions fighting in the region.
Life until the arrival of Shiite-Zaydi clan in the early 10th century was relatively peaceful for Yemenite Jews, enjoying freedom of religion on the condition of paying tax and little to no persecution from the tolerant Sunni Muslims in power at the time.
Unfortunately for the Jewish community, after taking power, the Zaydi rule stretched for over 1,000 years and marked the beginning of a long history marked by persecution, oppression and subjugation by the population and the state.
Cruel decrees from the state included second class citizen status, inability to touch a Muslim’s food and banned from defending themselves if attacked by Muslims.
One of the more notable of these suppressive motions was the Orphan’s Decree.
This stated that if a Jewish youth’s father died, the child was to be taken by the state and then converted to Islam, by force. During the Ottoman rule, the law was swept to the side, largely ignored, and rarely enforced.
A major catalyst for the evacuation of Yemenite Jews was the enforcement of the Orphan’s Decree by the hand of Imam Yahya.
Jewish orphans were abducted from the community, with little opportunity for release. The families and communities rallied for solutions and the return of their youth, including moving them to large cities and hiding them with other Jews, or marrying them off to give them the status as an adult.
As this cruel law was strictly enforced, the Jews of Yemen began to emigrate to what was then Palestine.
In 1947 following the partition vote in which the UN voted to split Palestine giving half to Arabs and half to Jews, Arab Muslims in Yemen caused a riot, killing 82 Jews in Aden and destroying hundreds of Jewish homes, while in the process torching the Jewish quarter.
This traumatic period compounded with a chain of events, notably gradually rising tensions between the Jewish and Islamic community (especially after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948) led to the emigration of virtually the entire Yemenite Jewish community between 1949 and September 1950.
As Egypt had closed the Suez Canal to the Yemenite Jews, they had little choice but to travel by air to Israel.
Britain agreed to establish an air transit camp in the Crown Colony of Aden where Yemenite Jews could embark on their airlift to Israel.
Titled Operation Magic Carpet, the JDC planned, organised and financed the passage of 48,000 Yemenite Jews from Aden to Israel.
Close to 450 flights were chartered in collaboration with Alaska Airlines, airlifting the entire Jewish community from Yemen to Israel. Yemenite Jews travelled hundreds of kilometres crossing deserts, mountains, and borders, often on foot to arrive in Aden from where they were taken to Israel.
Today, the majority of Yemenite Jews live in Israel and are all that remain of the 2000-year legacy of Yemenite Jewry. It is estimated there is one Jew remaining in Yemen, with allegations that there may be more practicing in secret.
At the end of WWII tens of thousands of liberated Jews found themselves with nowhere to go. By late 1945, some 75,000 Jewish survivors sought refuge in displaced-persons (DP) camps that were hastily set up in Germany, Austria, and Italy. These camps were poorly resourced and quickly became overcrowded. A massive aid program ensued to provide urgent necessities to these survivors in the face of critical shortages. The JDC was instrumental in providing desperately needed food and clothing as well as later facilitating reunification of loved ones who had been separated by the war.
Most of the surviving Jewish community wished to leave Europe and build a new life far from the devastation they had suffered. For some, Australia represented a promising haven and in the period from 1945 to 1961 around 25,000 Jewish refugees migrated to Australia reinforcing an Australian Jewish community that numbered only 23,000 in 1933.
The passage of these refugees was aided in large part by the JDC who together with Australia’s small Jewish community, were instrumental in ensuring the peaceful resettlement of Holocaust survivors.
After the Nazi’s seized power in 1933, many Jews sought to escape persecution. It was not easy for Jewish refugees to be granted passage to Australia. Anti-Jewish feelings could be found amongst both sides of the political spectrum. Such views were notably expressed by Australia’s delegate at the 1938 Evian Conference, Thomas W. White, who declared: “As we have no real racial problem, we are not desirous of importing one by encouraging any scheme of largescale foreign migration.”
Ultimately some 9,000 Jews from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia arrived in Australia before the outbreak of war in 1939 made further emigration all but impossible. This small community was ‘deeply moved by the enormity of the destruction of European Jewry, and were determined to do everything possible to assist in the rehabilitation of survivors by sponsoring their emigration to Australia.’ (Rutland, 2009)
After 1945 there was a growing understanding amongst policy makers that Australia would not be able to sustain the rate of economic development without increasing its refugee intake. This sentiment was popularised by the slogan ‘populate or perish.’
As the number of immigrants from non-British backgrounds increased, so did anti refuge hysteria, often propagated by the media. During this time, there was also an acute housing shortage in Australia which exacerbated anti refugee sentiment. Despite considerable sympathy for the plight of the Jewish people by the Immigration Minster Arthur Calwell, Australian policymakers were not enthusiastic about facilitating Jewish immigration and ‘insisted that the reception and integration of refugees was the responsibility of the Jewish community. ’ (Rutland, 2009)
A group of Jewish refugees boarding the bus to Marseilles, where they will then emigrate to South America or Australia
The Australian Jewish leadership had been eager to assist the resettlement of European Jewry before the war and had already established ties with the JDC in America. After the war, these connections were quickly resumed and the enormous task of resettling the survivors of the Holocaust was taken up by the JDC.
The task was further compounded by a series of discriminatory policies introduced by the Australian government to restrict the number of Jewish migrants coming to Australia. This included the introduction of quotas on ships and airplanes coming from Europe to Australia which were required to only contain 25% Jewish passengers.
Nevertheless, the JDC successfully facilitated the migration program. From financing resettlement, which included providing hostel accommodations, English classes, employment assistance, and interest-free loans to establish businesses.
Australia-bound emigrants smile and wave as they await departure at the Ciampino Airport. Rome, Italy, 1948. Photographer: Ghibli, Rome. JDC Archives Photograph Collection, item NY_50872.
The Joint’s archives and online database offer a unique opportunity for the Australian community to explore and discover this history. If you would like to know more about your family’s history search the Joint’s archives.
On Sunday 15 May, seventy-five members of the extended Polonsky family gathered in a private home for a reunion. The original Polonsky settlers have all passed on but the reunion brought together one remaining daughter of the original group, fourteen grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. To mark the occasion, members of the family donated to The Joint to recognise its role in the original migration. Below is an extract of the family’s journey.
Polonsky Family, Nikopol, Ukraine, April 1909
Back L-R: Jack (1892), Yochanan (1886), Aron (1890), Yechezkiel (1894)Seated L-R: Raphael (1885), Chassia (mother, 1862), Ephraim (father, 1860), Mechlia (1884), Myer (1880)At front L-R: Alec (1903), Ben (1900), Harry Spivakovsky (1906, son of Mechlia)
Two family-group photographs bookend the migration of the entire Polonsky family from Ukraine to Australia.
The portrait above was taken in Nikopol, Ukraine, when the entire family had gathered at home for Pesach. Yochanan, second from the left in the back row, was on leave from the Army; Jack, Aron, Raphael and Myer worked in various trades in distant towns; and Mechlia lived in a forest town with her husband Chaim. Only Ben and Alec were still living at home with their parents.
In 1911, when Yochanan returned from military service, he and Raphael set out to the newly developed far eastern port city of Harbin (Manchuria) where they hoped to improve themselves. After a two-week rail journey which carried them across the Russian Empire from west to east, the brothers reached their destination only to find that the city was experiencing a serious economic slump.
Early in 1913, Raphael and Yochanan decided to seek new opportunities. Together with a friend, Lazar Frack, they travelled south by train to Shanghai where they embarked on a ship for Brisbane where some other Russian Jews, disillusioned with Harbin, had settled successfully. Without any English, they could only find work as labourers, at first in the cane fields, and later the railways. Unused to the heat and the hard physical labour, they resolved to return to Russia as soon as they could accumulate some money, but something changed for them because after twelve months of back-breaking work, they sent £100 to their father, Ephraim, to pay for the whole family to join them in Australia.
At the time he received the money, Ephraim had already relocated with Chassia and Alec, to the provincial city of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov; the construction company which employed him had won an important contract to extend the Berdyansk pier.
World War I broke out in August 1914 and almost immediately, Jack and Yechezkiel were called up for military service. This was no time to emigrate; Ephraim put the money in safe keeping intending to emigrate with his family after the end of hostilities. Ben, just a lad of fourteen, who had been under Jack’s care in Warsaw, working as a messenger, returned to his parents. Although both Jack and Yechezkiel were posted to the Austrian front, they were in different sectors. In 1915 Jack was taken prisoner by the Austrians, but in August of the same year, the family received the report that Yechezkiel had been reported missing and was now presumed dead. Aron was called up in 1916 and was taken prisoner by the Turks on the front in the Cauacasian mountains. When he learned that Aron was also a prisoner, Jack who was working in an administrative role in the POW camp in Reichenberg, Bohemia (now Liberec, Czech Republic), arranged for Aron to be transferred to the same camp. After the February Revolution in St Petersburg, the Russian Provisional Government continued to prosecute the war and even Myer was conscripted despite being a husband and father.
After the Communist Revolution took place in October 1917, the new government under Lenin abandoned their British, French and Italian allies (Entente Powers) to make a separate peace with Germany, Austria and Turkey (Central Powers). The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in March 1918 whereupon Aron and Jack were freed from Austrian prison camp but had to make their own way home over a great distance. Myer’s unit disbanded and he was able to return to his family, but Aron and Jack, having already taken many months to reach their sister’s home in Cherkassy, under Red control, were forced to remain there until the spring of 1919 because Berdyansk was under White control. The civil war interrupted all communications within Russia and Ukraine and as a result, all contact between the family in Australia and Russia was broken.
Only a short time after Pesach 1919, the White forces re-took Berdyansk and both Aron and Jack were conscripted once again. Aron returned six months later seriously sick and was nursed back to health at home. The unending civil war destroyed people’s livelihoods and Ephraim found himself jobless when work on the pier had to be abandoned; he used the £100 to rent a small shop and stock it with salted, smoked and dried fish which he imported from Kerch, at the entrance to the Sea of Azov.
In the Spring of 1922, a two-pronged relief arrived – essential foodstuffs and medical supplies were distributed by the American Joint Distribution Committee, and the family received a reply to Aron’s letter. It was unequivocal – Aron and Jack should marry without delay, and the family was to come to Australia – no-one should remain in Russia. Yochanan was in Constantinople (now Istanbul) with Australian visas for them all; he instructed them to go to Batum (now Batumi, Georgia) and enclosed US currency for that purpose. Yochanan had closed his shop in West Wyalong New South Wales, consigned all his stock to Raphael’s larger shop in Hay, NSW, and proceeded to Melbourne, then the seat of the Australian Government, to obtain visas for the entire family including children and fiancées. He sailed to London where he learned about the work of The Joint in assisting Jews to leave Russia. On that basis, he travelled across Europe by train (The Orient Express) to Constantinople and began to work with the fledgeling Jewish relief fund.
Aron and Rita married in November 1922 in her parents’ home in Crimea. Jack and Shiphra married on Christmas Day 1922 in her mother’s home in Cherkassy, and immediately, the first group began the long journey. Fourteen-strong, the family could ill-afford to attract attention; the second group left two-weeks later in January 1923. Under Red control, the railways were operating reliably but inflation was rampant causing ticket prices to be re-issued every day – one US dollar could purchase fifty million Russian roubles.
The rail journey to the Black Sea port of Batum, proceeded smoothly in three stages: first to Rostov-on-Don (270 km), then to Baku, in Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea (1300 km), and finally to Batum (700 km). The small Jewish community of Batum was almost overwhelmed by the influx of Jewish refugees. A local grocer, Mr Fantalis, worked as the agent for The Joint; he shuttled repeatedly between Batum and Tbilisi, the capital, (an uncomfortable day-long rail journey in each direction) to obtain exit visas for the refugees, and it was he who negotiated with the captains of cargo vessels to carry groups of Jews to Constantinople in the empty holds.
When the Polonsky family embarked from Batum, a Friday afternoon early in April 1922, the Jewish passengers assembled on the deck for Kabbalat Shabbat and, according to Alec who was twenty years old, everyone participated, their singing strong and heartfelt. He remembered it vividly in his old age – such was their relief at leaving Russia behind.
After celebrating Pesach in Constantinople with Yochanan, the family proceeded, again in two groups, to Port Said, where the first group embarked on Ville de Strasbourg, a French ship, disembarking in Melbourne on 22 May 1923. The second group expanded to include Yochanan who had devoted nine months to working as a volunteer with The Joint while he waited for his family in Constantinople. Together they travelled on Moreton Bay, a new ship of the Australian Commonwealth Line, disembarking in Melbourne approximately two weeks after the first group.
Although Yochanan and Raphael paid the cost for their family’s travel, the migration would not have been possible without the work of The Joint, a remarkable organisation established by wealthy American Jews to improve the welfare of Jews everywhere.
The second bookend is a portrait, taken in late 1924, of a family that in remarkably short time learnt English and settled in Melbourne. Raphael never withdrew his guidance and support until his untimely death in January 1941. Just four months after their parents had disembarked, the first Australian-born members of the family, Roy and my mother, Miriam, were welcomed in October 1923. Five years later, Jack, Myer and Yochanan established Polonsky Brothers, one of the first Jewish-owned Kosher butcher shops in Melbourne. Chassia the matriarch lived until 1935 with her daughter Mechlia who was active in a welcome group for new Jewish arrivals, most of whom settled initially in the suburbs of Carlton and North Carlton. Other members of the family participated in congregational work and as volunteers with Jewish organisations. Myer’s grandson, Irvin Rockman, served as Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 1977 to 1979. Susie, who was just eight years old when she landed in Australia, acted as her son’s Lady Mayoress.
Polonsky Family, Melbourne, Australia, 1924
Back L-R: Aron, Ben, Raphael, Jack, Alec, Shiphra Holding Roy (Ephraim) born Oct 1923, Harry Spivakovsky (Mechlia’s son), Mechila Spivakovsky nee Polonsky Seated L-R: Pearl (Myer’s daughter), Rita holding Miriam born October 1923, Chassia, Myer, Yochanan, Rae Spivakovsky (Mechlia’s daughter) In front L-R: Myer’s two younger children, Susie (Shayndle) and Peter.
The photographs on the wall behind the group are of the members of the family who died before the migration L-R: Yechazkiel, Mania Polonsky nee Orloff (Myer’s wife), Leib-Ber Polonsky (grandfather), Ephraim, Chaim Spivakovsky (Mechlia’s husband)
At its most recent reunion, on Sunday 15 May 2022, seventy-five Polonskys and descendants marked the occasion by donating to The Joint which once again is working to rescue Jews in Ukraine.
Polonsky Family Elders enjoying the occasion L-R David Yaffe,Greta Polonsky and Leonard Yaffe OAM.
With the help and generosity of our supporters, JDC is working to respond quickly and effectively to the Ukraine crisis. One of the ways we are doing this is by offering trauma counselling.
Zoom session with a psychologist in war-torn Mykolaiv
While images of destruction and physical devastation dominate the news, the crisis in Ukraine is also taking a less visible toll: the hundreds of thousands of victims suffering from trauma and PTSD. This week’s bulletin highlights the support that we provide to Ukrainian Jews coping with the trauma of fleeing their homes or living under constant threat.
Trauma & Stress: JDC Responds to War’s Hidden Toll
Trauma takes many forms. Over the past few months, JDC has assisted people suffering from domestic violence, anxiety, depression, and some traumas that are unspeakable. This impacts both emotional and physical functioning – making it harder to breathe and at times even move.
Hundreds of refugees received trauma relief through JDC
Hundreds more expected to receive long-term care
1,500+ served by the trauma hotline
With your support, we are bringing relief to victims of trauma. This work takes place in Ukraine, where we run a trauma hotline for older adults, displaced people, and strained JDC staff. We connect those in need of deeper assistance with those equipped to help.
Recognising that symptoms of trauma persist long-term, we are already preparing for the months ahead. We plan to open trauma centres across Ukraine. These centres will offer group and individual assistance, catering to older adults who never imagined their lives would end up this way, and parents struggling to help their children work through deep-seated anxiety.
While the lion’s share of traumatized and displaced Jews remain in Ukraine, many are refugees in Europe. Since day one, we have offered psychological first aid to distressed refugees. Today, we work hand-in-hand with local Jewish communities.
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.
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 Australia planned a Mission to Hungary to observe The Joint’s work in restoring the Budapest community from destruction to a vibrant Jewish world centre. Prevented by COVID from travelling, we reconvened in regional NSW and led a leadership/advocacy retreat for influential and newly engaged JA ambassadors in-training.
Over two days we were lucky to hear from:
Ariel Zwang CEO
Will Recant Executive Vice president
Sigal Shelach CEO Israel
Oksana Galkevich Director Field Operations
Amir Shaviv VP of Special Operations (Rescue)
Avital Sandler-Loeff Executive Director of GRID: Global Response and Innovative Development (Tikun Olam)
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 Judith Morton Rehabilitation Centres for older adults in Israel is an initiative run by The Joint that provides holistic care to those who are recovering from illness or serious injury. The 7 centres are currently running at full capacity and with the support of the Israeli government, they recently took the decision to upgrade each centre with more equipment and greater technology so as to bolster the services the centres provide. The impact of Covid 19 has seen the centres providing special care for those impacted by the pandemic both in person and online.
They’re now excited to announce, working again in close collaboration with The Joint, that a new project has commenced to open a network of 19 more Judith Morton self management guidance centres for older adults in Israel. The network will be active regionally across the country and have the main purpose of equipping older adults with the skills to manage healthier, happier independent lives. Of the new centres, a number will memorialise Judth’s sisters Lilly Ujvary & Eva Berger along with Geoff and Susie Israel, her devoted friends. The main services the new centres will offer are:
*Digital Literacy
*Guidance in transitioning to a ne Life Stage
*Retirement Planning Services and Financial Literacy
*Chronic Disease Self Management Programs
*Information Systems Offering Personalized Recommendations for a Healthy Life Style
This is an ongoing commitment to help thousands of older adults across Israel regain their strength and independence through the most uncertain and challenging of times.
It’s through the generosity of members of our community like Rod that The Joint is able to positively impact the daily lives of citizens in need all across Israel.
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.
On Anzac day 300 supporters of The Joint gathered at Central Synagogue to hear the inspirational 101 year old Eddie Jaku tell his story. He spoke of how The Joint granted him safe passage to Australia after the horrors of WWII and the philosophy behind being known as the happiest man alive.
Roland Gridiger OAM, Eddie Jaku OAM, Eva Fischl OAM
Hannah Fuzi, Anna Lenvay, Eva Fischl OAM, Paul Lenvay
Eddie Jaku OAM
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 COVID-19 Update – 11 December 2020
Dear Joint Supporter
Three photos of Chanuka joy should help bring happiness and celebration from The Joint Australia. We are always optimistic and happy as we better the world for the Jewish People on a global scale.
As Chanukah continues, we would like to take this opportunity to share some of the impacts you had in 2020 as a result of your generous gift to The Joint Australia.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you may even have forgotten your kind gift to support our work, but we haven’t.
Indeed, your donation has gone directly to the heart of The Joint’s mission: changing lives for people who rely on us each day for basic necessities, rebuilding Jewish communities in remote and forgotten corners of the globe, assisting victims of natural disasters who cried out for help, building our youth and future leaders, and as the largest NGO in Israel, planning Israel’s successful future with 25-year forward plans. We do this because the future needs us now.
You can be confident that every day of the year, your gift was hard at work in seventy countries around the world, touching the hearts and minds of hundreds and thousands of people who live in places where there are no safety nets and very few opportunities.
We often say that our work couldn’t be done without people like you, but that doesn’t make it any less true. We cannot do this work without people like you.
It is an honour to be able to thank you on behalf of those who don’t have a voice, and we hope that you will hear the sincerity in our words.
Please know that we never take your support for granted and we will always be here to answer your questions, share stories from the field and be frank about our challenges and opportunities. Just ask!
The Joint Australia wishes you all the best for Chanukah. We look forward to your ongoing partnership and involvement.
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. All gifts over $2 are fully tax-deductible.
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.
