OLAM: Looking Ahead: Learning From the Jewish Response to Ukraine

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the global Jewish community responded like never before. Within days, Jewish and Israeli aid organizations had mobilized inside Ukraine and on its borders, striving to staunch a humanitarian crisis that, within the year, would reap more than 100,000 Ukrainian casualties, destroy entire cities, and displace a quarter of the country’s population. Funds poured in during the war’s early months, contributed by Jewish and Israeli individuals, foundations and federations, from both the private and public sectors – with donations from Israel’s private sector reaching their highest level ever.

Why did the Russian aggression resonate so strongly with Jews worldwide? How effective was their help, human and financial? Was there duplication of efforts? Were there gaps? And perhaps most importantly: Are there lessons to be learned so that future support for humanitarian causes can be more thoughtful and efficient?

Practical recommendations

Some answers, albeit early and partial, are contained in a 30-page report published nearly half a year after the Russian invasion. The report, entitled “Preliminary Lessons from Jewish and Israeli Responses to the Crisis in Ukraine,” was commissioned by OLAM, an eight-year-old network of 69 Jewish and Israeli organizations in the fields of international development, humanitarian aid, and global volunteering.

“The purpose of the report was to draw initial lessons from the unprecedented response of the global Jewish community to this humanitarian emergency,” says OLAM CEO Dyonna Ginsburg. “It has given us insight into how Jewish groups collaborated in the war’s early months, and how they can do so most effectively in its next phases. With OLAM’s network active in more than 80 countries, it’s important for us to apply these insights to benefit the world Jewish community, as well as to compose practical recommendations for those responding both to the current crisis and to future ones.”

The report, compiled by the California-based firm Rosov Consulting, is based on interviews with representatives of 21 international humanitarian aid, Jewish engagement, and umbrella organizations, funders, Israel government entities, and grassroots networks. It draws a number of lessons for the many involved stakeholders.

Funding is naturally a major focus. The report recommends, first, emergency reserves so that crises can be met instantly; second, investment in local networks alongside more established organizations; and third, maintaining necessary funding once the crisis drops from the headlines. “Our partner organizations are in for the long haul,” says Ginsburg. “Thirteen of them remain active in Ukraine. There are ongoing needs, and these needs must be financed.”

A second important area underscored by the report is coordinating the efforts of those who come to help – be they humanitarian aid legacy providers such as World Jewish Relief and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; Jewish engagement organizations, such as Chabad and Hillel in the former Soviet Union, who have been catapulted into humanitarian action; or Jewish-led grassroots networks. “The roles played by these organizations should be delineated now, ahead of future crises,” says Ginsburg. “The responses must be integrated, flexibility must be cultivated, needs constantly reassessed, and the flow of information formalized.”

An excellent framework

“The OLAM report is thoughtful and provides an excellent framework,” says Alan Silberstein, advisory board chair of Israel’s NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief, an OLAM partner organization. “Many of its recommendations, such as engaging with local partners and other large organizations, have long been part of the way we work. But there’s room for improvement in our communications and fundraising. While there was an outpouring of support for Ukraine from individual donors and small foundations, large institutional donors with a defined mission often turn us down.”

NATAN, which has no paid staff and prides itself on low overheads and rapid, agile, nondiscriminatory response, was created 20 years ago as a relief organization for natural disasters across the globe. It widened its remit in 2008 to include refugee situations following the Russian invasion of Georgia.

Ironically, the Jewish connection to Ukraine also highlighted the importance of the American Jewish community’s support for disaster relief, regardless of whether the victims are Jewish. “When we began raising money for our first Ukraine mission, many of those we approached asked: ‘Is this to help the Jews in Ukraine?’” says Silberstein, who was formerly CEO of Western Union and today is a financial consultant based in Tenafly, NJ. “When we told them we were going to help anyone who needed it, more than a few said they weren’t interested. But many of these same people came back to us soon afterward and contributed generously. For some, their focus expanded as they saw what was happening in Ukraine. Others, I believe, understood that their contribution effectively supports Israel – garnering respect for its capability and admiration for its generosity.”

Building bridges

“Jewish support of Jews comes naturally to many of us, and is very important,” says OLAM’s communications manager, Naomi Lipstein. “But today we live in an interconnected world, and helping non-Jews as well is not only the right thing to do, it also helps build bridges of understanding and compassion between different communities.”

While Ukraine’s significant Jewish touchpoints were a considerable factor in the vigorous response from the world Jewish community, according to the report, they are also one of the main factors leading to so many Jewish donors giving to non-Jews affected by the conflict. Nearly one-third of those interviewed reported that they served all populations affected by the crisis, regardless of religious affiliation.

“Ukraine’s Jewish population and Jewish history resulted in both our formal Jewish partners and informal Jewish allies operating in the same arena, with all of them propelled overnight into humanitarian aid,” says Ginsburg. “Lines between Jewish and non-Jewish impact blurred. Many organizations on the ground, even Jewish engagement organizations, served local non-Jews as well as Jews. Jewish history has shifted, and Jewish philanthropy has recognized the importance of serving those without Jewish ties. Today’s Jewish community, in very stark contrast to that of the 1940s, has unprecedented resources. There was a choice to make, and many organizations and funders have chosen to share with non-Jews. As one of the report’s interviewees said: When there are refugees, you don’t check if they’re Jewish. You focus on helping people, whoever they are, whatever their needs.”

Important catalyst

Another very positive takeaway, says Ginsburg, is the general culture of coordination between the Jewish aid groups involved with Ukraine. “In times of crisis, groups overlap and duplicate, and there’s competition over funding. We have reason to be very proud of how they cooperated, and continue doing so, in Ukraine.” Most of those interviewed, in fact, reported that the most meaningful part of their response to this crisis was their contact with individuals they could help. In the words of one grassroots activist: “It was a rare opportunity to do the most I could to save lives. I was able not only to sit and watch, but to be active, to look at people and think, ‘I saved them!’ That’s been a real privilege.”

OLAM is aware that Ukraine is unique in its multiple Jewish associations, past and present. “We hope, however, that this report will catalyze important conversations, interventions and collaborations, especially as public attention wanes. Beyond that, we’re optimistic that it will stir greater Jewish consciousness about the needs of refugees in other humanitarian crises, from Ethiopia and Syria to Venezuela and Yemen. Our mission is to convene and mobilize Jewish leaders and organizations to support the world’s most vulnerable people.”

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Partnered with OLAM