UJA-Federation of New York announced it has allocated more than $2.5 million in financial assistance this summer to help Ukrainian refugees in Israel who have fled their home country after Russia declared war on the country in late February.
The funds will be used to support both new immigrants to Israel and some 20,000 refugees who are ineligible for government assistance under Israel’s Law of Return. They will cover programs that offer services such as child care, summer activities and camps, training and job placement, legal assistance and other advocacy for refugees, and mental-health services.
A majority of the money—some $870,000—will be used to provide for the refugees’ basic needs, including food, medicine, personal hygiene, clothing and transportation.
The $2.5 million will be allocated via several nonprofit organizations in six Israeli cities with large Russian-speaking populations where refugees have settled: Haifa, Netanya, Ashdod, Rishon Letzion, Beersheva and Bat Yam.
“Together with our partnering organizations and municipalities, UJA has built a much-needed infrastructure on the ground to address the urgent needs of refugee and immigrant families who arrived in dire circumstances in Israel,” said Itzik Shmuli, director-general of UJA’s Israel office, noting that this is a situation that “will likely not subside any time soon.”
UJA-Federation New York has provided $16 million in aid worldwide since the start of the war on Feb. 24.
