Strengthening Ukraine's Jewish Community

As the Jewish world grapples with the dire consequences of the post-October 7th reality, JCCs in Ukraine continue to spearhead their local Jewish communities amid the third year of a devastating conflict in that country. Ukraine's JCCs have successfully served their communities for many years, and their role has become even more critical. No longer focusing solely on social, recreational, and educational activities, they have been providing around-the-clock services, including welfare, medical assistance, physical support, and offering a haven for all members of the community.

Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, JCC Global has focused much of its work on assisting the JCCs there. As a global network of more than 1,000 Jewish Community Centers, JCC Global envisions a world where Jewish communities thrive locally and connect globally to foster a sense of belonging among a diverse and intertwined tapestry of people. Since 1977, it has created a network of interwoven communities that strengthens Jewish Peoplehood by training local leaders to think and connect globally and by cultivating meaningful partnerships around the world.

JCC Global mobilizes the support of the global JCC movement to ensure that no JCC is left alone. From educational and moral support to accessing grants and providing online training courses, it has educated Jewish communities worldwide about the situation in Ukraine and initiated short and long-term partnerships with JCCs in Ukraine.

In an era of constant change, perpetual crises, and limited resources, a network-centric approach is required to assemble novel and flexible combinations of human talent that would be difficult or impossible to pull together in a single organization.

A new comprehensive approach

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, JCC Global has led annual online network meetings for JCCs in Ukraine, focusing on their assets and challenges and providing a safe space for collaboration and enrichment. As the war in Ukraine entered its third year, it became clear that a more comprehensive and synergetic approach was needed. Thanks to the generosity of leading North American Jewish philanthropies, JCC Global is now able to offer a new program to support JCCs in Ukraine: "JCC Global – From Good to Great." It will augment the ongoing support provided by JDC, World Jewish Relief, Jewish Agency for Israel, and other organizations that have been working in Ukraine for many years.

"JCC Global – From Good to Great," focuses on three interconnected tiers:

Local Level: Providing employment services directly to local JCC members in Ukraine, thanks to a grant from UJA Federation of New York, and offering additional mental health support, thanks to a grant from the Jack Buncher Foundation.

Regional Level: Developing a nationwide JCC network in Ukraine, under the auspices of JCC Global, to build organizational capacity and create shared tools/resources for local program delivery, thanks to a grant from the Roland S. Roadburg Foundation.

Global Level: Establishing three-year partnerships where JCCs in Ukraine are matched with peer JCCs in North America, Israel, Europe, and Latin America for a multi-faceted initiative that combines online courses, personalized mentoring, joint global projects, and face-to-face retreats. These collaborations are possible thanks to a grant from the Jewish Federations of North America.

Ongoing support and impact

Through "JCC Global – From Good to Great," JCCs in Ukraine have access to the tools, knowledge, and relationships necessary to build their capacity, secure sustainable resources, and thrive as vibrant centers of Jewish life, combining targeted education, personalized mentorship, and hands-on global collaborations. Face-to-face retreats serve as powerful milestones, fostering unity and shared purpose, while the partnership projects will ensure ongoing support and impact beyond the formal program period.

With its three-tiered comprehensive approach, "JCC Global – From Good to Great" promises to strengthen Jewish Peoplehood concepts and practices and to embody, in action, the principle of "All of Israel are responsible for one another."

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Partnered with JCC Global