Humanitarian Winter Aid From Chabad Reaches Jewish Communities in 250 Ukrainian Cities and Towns

As Chanukah and the new year approached, generous food packages and vouchers were distributed to thousands of Jewish families and their children, who were in dire need of humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. JRNU activists and volunteers, FJC’s operational arm in Ukraine, reached 250 cities and towns across Ukraine, including remote and isolated regions, in an unprecedented operation ensuring no Jewish family would be left behind.

“It was moving to see the smiles on the faces of children and their parents,” Rabbi Simcha Levenhartz of JRNU reported, “when food packages arrived at their homes, community distribution points, or through purchasing vouchers at leading retail chains. Their eyes said it all – the joy of knowing they’re not alone and that someone is thinking of them, the anticipation of receiving tasty, kosher, and nutritious food, and the knowledge that a better future awaits them thanks to caring partners from across the world.”

For Chanukah, the aid packages included special holiday items such as menorahs and candles, dreidels, educational materials, and children’s games. The food packages contained essential items such as flour, oil, shelf-stable milk, pasta, rice, baked goods, natural juices, and assorted sweets. Some of these products are locally produced in Ukraine under the strict supervision of the Ukraine Kashrut Committee (UK), led by Rabbi Pinchas Vishedsky, one of Kyiv’s prominent rabbis.