Imagine waking up to the deafening sound of air raid alarms, knowing your family’s safety is never guaranteed. Now add the bitter cold of winter, a war that refuses to end, and the constant struggle to find food, heat, or even a safe place to sleep. This is life in Cherkassy, Ukraine.
Located in the center of Ukraine, between Kiev and Odessa, Cherkassy is both a city and a county, with 350,000 residents in the city and 1.5 million more in the surrounding area. Of these, 8,000-9,000 are Jewish. Our Federation’s partnership with Cherkassy began in 1996 through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), focusing on building the Jewish community, supporting Jewish education, fostering Jewish identity, and providing much-needed assistance to the elderly, many of whom live in extreme poverty.
Today, children shiver in freezing shelters just to go to school. Elderly neighbors are choosing between food and warmth. Families who’ve already lost everything are now fighting just to survive another day.
With the approach of winter, the JDC Hesed in Cherkassy requested $35,000 from our Federation to support immediate needs connected to the war. To help our partners in Cherkassy get through this brutal time, Federation is sending this funding, which will help provide emergency rent, heating, and food for displaced families, warm winter clothing for children, basic necessities like food and utilities for elderly residents, and resilience programs to help children cope with the trauma of war.
And it couldn’t come at a more important time.
Winter is Here, and the Needs Are Overwhelming
On December 3, we spoke with local leaders in Cherkassy to hear firsthand what their community is going through. The stories were heartbreaking.
Families displaced by war are struggling to afford rent, heating, and food, with heating costs alone eating up over half of their average monthly income. Children from these families are without proper winter clothing to face the bitter cold, while 227 elderly residents (many of whom don’t qualify for other aid) are desperate for help with food and utility bills. On top of all this, many children are grappling with the emotional scars of war—and expanding the Hibuki resilience program is critical to helping them begin to heal.
The road ahead is long, and the challenges are growing every day. But Federation remains steadfast in our mission to support vulnerable populations in Cherkassy and beyond, ensuring that urgent needs are met during this time of war. But we can’t do this alone. Support the UJA Annual Campaign to ensure we can keep offering the help that families, children, and elderly residents so desperately need right now. This winter, let’s show the people of Cherkassy that even in the darkest times, there is still light, and it shines through people like you.