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Why We Care
In February 2022, the world watched in horror as the war in Ukraine began. So many in Israel (our staff included) have relatives directly affected by the war. Israel is no stranger to the suffering and trauma of war, and we knew we had to help.
Throughout the early days of the conflict, we sent and supported a number of aid teams assisting refugees fleeing Ukraine into neighboring Poland, Moldova, and Romania. During that time, we helped stock refugee centers with essentials, transport refugees from the borders to surrounding safe cities, opened a pop-up pharmacy for refugees, brought medical supplies specifically for pregnant women, set up a playroom for traumatized children of refugee families, and supported a rescue crew bringing families out of war zones into Romania.
JP International Aid Operations Helping Ukrainian Refugees Fleeing the War
At the time that the war broke out, Ukraine was home to nearly 200,000 Jews. As soon as the hostilities began, thousands of immigrants and refugees from Ukraine and surrounding nations started pouring into Israel, overwhelming the country's limited capacity to properly house and absorb so many in such a short period. In fact, throughout 2022, 70,000 new immigrants from 95 countries arrived in Israel, the highest number in 23 years!
JP Aid for Ukrainian New Immigrants
Most immigrants who fled from the war arrived without any belongings or funds, having fled at a moment's notice. The lucky ones had the chance to pack a carry-on and had friends or family in Israel who could take them in initially. But this was not the standard, and we also heard story after heart-wrenching story of women who fled with their children (as their husbands of military age could not leave Ukraine) and found themselves in Israel sleeping on piles of clothing as makeshift beds on the floor.
Our team recognized the clear and present need for mattresses, clothing, bedding, towels, blankets, and basic furniture. We sprang into action and quickly started providing these items to partner organizations working directly with immigrants and refugees throughout the country, helping house and provide for them. To this end, we supplied over 3,400 mattresses and beds as part of our ongoing emergency housing operations for the massive continuous waves of immigrants. In addition, over 5,000 boxes of clothing for all ages and genders, together with tens of thousands of pieces of furniture, went towards thousands of new immigrants from Ukraine and around the world who made Israel their home in 2022. In total, we estimate that approximately 40,000 immigrants received aid from the Joseph Project in the past year!
