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A rare journey to bear witness to the struggle and strife of displaced Ukrainians — and to consolation them in addition to observe reduction efforts on their behalf — came about lately, as a gaggle of devoted people from Temple Emanu-El’s congregation on the Higher East Facet of Manhattan traveled to the border of Ukraine and Poland amid the warfare in Ukraine.
The mission was one in every of faith, compassion and care towards the innocents in Ukraine whose nation was invaded and torn asunder by Russian forces starting on Feb. 24, 2022 — over 130 days in the past now.
When most People had been simply starting to embrace the start of summer time on Memorial Day weekend this 12 months, a gaggle from Temple Emanu-El — New York Metropolis’s main Reform Jewish congregation — traveled to Ukraine as a substitute.
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What they noticed and discovered amid their travels has stayed with them since.
Martin Bell, one of many vacationers, informed Fox Information Digital in a current telephone interview that it was the inspiring phrases of his senior rabbi, Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson — in a message to temple members — that made him select to go away behind the comforts of house to journey to Ukraine on behalf of those suffering.
Members of a mission from Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan traveled to the Ukraine-Polish border lately to “bear witness,” each to the struggles of the folks of Ukraine and to those that are serving to them choose up the items of their lives. Martin Bell is pictured at heart (in entrance, in darkish jacket and sporting glasses), together with different members of Temple Emanu-El.
(Temple Emanu-El of New York Metropolis)
“After I learn the rabbi’s message” concerning the journey and the meaningfulness of it, mentioned Bell, “my feeling was, ‘How may I not go?'”
“As we watch with grave concern the occasions unfolding in Ukraine,” shared Rabbi Davidson in a message to members of Temple Emanu-El, “many people really feel helpless, wishing to be of help to the thousands and thousands who’re struggling the atrocities of the unjust warfare. Individually and communally, we now have despatched funds and items to the organizations engaged in vital reduction work, and we are going to proceed to take action.”
“And now,” Rabbi Davidson continued, “we now have one other strategy to reply conscience’s name.”
“It is a story that must be informed. It is a story that should be informed … We now have the accountability to inform others what we noticed” in Ukraine, Martin Bell informed Fox Information Digital.
The rabbi went on, “Collectively we are going to carry much-needed provides, supply consolation to these fleeing the warfare — and bear witness each to the struggling and to the extraordinary efforts of the businesses providing reduction from that struggling.”
Bell informed Fox Information Digital the rabbi’s message deeply impressed him and others.
An area resident is proven strolling by the destroyed second ground of her multi-generational house whereas looking for salvageable objects in April, in Hostomel, Ukraine, exterior the town of Kyiv.
(John Moore/Getty Photographs)
“There are three key messages there. One is to assist finish the struggling,” mentioned Bell, “and we noticed that. We talked with one refugee who had spent 18 hours touring together with her daughter to the border” — to be able to flee the violence and destruction, he mentioned.
“And she or he should’ve seen issues that had been so horrific” — together with the grotesque deaths of fellow Ukrainians — that each one she mentioned, bluntly and immediately, to the group was, “We hate all of them,” Bell associated.
The girl was referring to the Russians who had been attempting to destroy Ukraine and who had been brutally killing harmless folks and wrecking property.
A gaggle of Temple Emanu-El members are proven throughout a current journey to the Ukraine-Poland border to assist carry consolation to displaced Ukrainians — folks they “had been privileged to satisfy,” the vacationers mentioned afterward.
(Temple Emanu-El of New York Metropolis)
Bell added how necessary it was for the rabbi to share that the temple’s staff would “bear witness to the extraordinary efforts” of the reduction efforts towards these folks.
“You’ll suppose this could have made us mournful” when it comes to seeing the charitable operations required for the Ukrainian folks, Bell mentioned.
“It was the alternative. It was so inspiring. We got here again renewed, simply to see the way in which the Polish individuals are supporting these immigrants” — and have been supporting them and serving to them for the reason that very early days of the warfare, he mentioned.
The group from Temple Emanu-El introduced duffel baggage full of donated provides for the determined Ukrainians who’ve fled for his or her lives.
“There are about 5 million individuals who have left Ukraine,” mentioned Bell. Some “3.5 million of them went to Poland.”
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The group from Temple Emanu-El introduced duffel baggage full of donated provides from temple members for the determined Ukrainians who’ve fled for his or her lives, mentioned Bell.
Journey members from the temple had their eyes opened at nearly each cease alongside the way in which, Bell indicated.
Temple members who traveled to the Ukraine-Poland border are proven amid their current journey to carry consolation and bear witness.
(Temple Emanu-El of New York Metropolis)
“We had been proper on the border, proper on the checkpoint the place folks come by,” and “proper there, there are dozens of tents” full of volunteers and staffers to assist the displaced, mentioned Bell. Tents are full of meals, clothes, medical provides, SIM playing cards for cell telephones — and way more of the objects the Ukrainians want, he mentioned.
A few of these operations are run by NGOs; others are run by on a regular basis folks.
Each place the group went, Bell associated, they noticed reduction efforts that had been “began initially by on a regular basis Poles” — they usually have continued to run them to assist the displaced Ukrainians, he mentioned (the displaced are largely girls and kids).
Rabbi Davidson of Temple Emanu-El devoted a portion of a current Friday service to inform the story of a congregational mission to Ukraine, which he led amongst members of his temple.
(Temple Emanu-El of New York Metropolis)
These on a regular basis folks “simply noticed the necessity and rose to the problem,” mentioned Bell.
He added, “The half about bearing witness — that is what actually resonated with me and with everybody in our group. Partially, that is perhaps a Jewish response in a world the place there are Holocaust deniers,” mentioned Bell. “We wished to go there in order that we may then come again and inform different folks what we noticed.”
“It is a story that must be informed. It is a story that should be informed,” he additionally mentioned.
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Fox Information Digital additionally spoke to Wendy Gerber, one other temple member who made the journey.
“We will not actually seize the devastation and destruction that has occurred of their lives.”
“It was great” to have the ability to assist the Ukrainian refugees, mentioned Gerber, although “we won’t actually seize the devastation and destruction that has occurred of their lives.”
She shared some examples.
“I turned very shut with a refugee named Sarah, who came from Mariupol. She’s 37 and has three youngsters, one in every of whom is autistic. And so they stayed of their house so long as they might. [But] when the shelling” moved dangerously near them,” added Gerber, “they needed to head to the basement of a pal’s home, “the place they stayed for greater than 30 days together with three different households.”
A picture of a household displaced from their house in Ukraine by the warfare begun by Russia — a warfare that’s now over 130 days previous.
(Courtesy Temple Emanu-El )
“Issues simply continued to get progressively worse — they usually knew they wanted to go away,” mentioned Gerber.
However when the younger Ukrainian mom “recounted the story of her determination to go away, she was in tears with us,” mentioned Gerber.
“The green corridors were supposed to be safe evacuation zones for the Ukrainians,” she mentioned — “however the Russians had been nonetheless taking pictures at Ukrainians,” she mentioned.
“Lastly, they made the choice that they wanted to go” and that they needed to danger it, Gerber mentioned.
“The inexperienced corridors had been imagined to be secure evacuation zones for the Ukrainians.”
“And as they had been driving out of Mariupol, they had been passing our bodies on the road — and I can not even think about how tough that will need to have been. I’ve three youngsters myself,” added Gerber, “and it is onerous sufficient for somebody to do one thing like that on their very own — however simply understanding that their youngsters, too, needed to expertise this will need to have been actually excruciating.”
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She mentioned the household’s first cease on the way in which out was at a synagogue — the place they paused for a blessing, mentioned Gerber. “After I discovered that, I believed, ‘Wow, these are actually devoted, religious folks,’” she mentioned.
The girl’s husband really drove Sarah and their three youngsters to security — mentioned Gerber — after which he went again into Ukraine.
A view exhibits buildings destroyed by shelling in Borodyanka, Ukraine, on Monday, Might 2, 2022.
(REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
And he introduced 25 different folks out of Ukraine to security, added Gerber.
“What was wonderful to me is that Sarah and I’ve stayed in very shut contact since we parted in Warsaw,” mentioned Gerber. “And on an nearly each day foundation, she’ll ship me notes, photographs — it is simply heartbreaking.”
The girl noticed her former condo constructing — her house — get demolished, she mentioned. They had been capable of escape just with some clothing, some papers — however not way more. “They left behind laptops, images, all of their treasured objects,” mentioned Gerber.
She shared that Sarah confirmed her {a photograph} of her son, who’s 12 — and the way, to at the present time, he carries a bit of shrapnel in his hand.
“Or perhaps God does like me — as a result of I am alive right this moment.”
The boy mentioned to her, “Why is it that God does not like me, [since] he destroyed my constructing and he destroyed my house?” However then he additionally mentioned to his mom, “Or perhaps God does like me — as a result of I am alive right this moment.”
Gerber mentioned she was extraordinarily moved {that a} younger boy must suppose such ideas — the kind of ideas no younger individual ought to must ponder.
Wendy Gerber of Temple Emanu-El shared her story with members of the congregation throughout a current Friday night service. She spoke with Fox Information Digital about what she noticed and heard on the Ukraine-Poland border.
(Temple Emanu-El of New York Metropolis)
She mentioned she frolicked drawing and coloring with among the younger youngsters in one of many shelters — “they usually had been simply having a lighthearted, pleasant dialog as they had been drawing.”
Gerber later discovered from one of many folks on the Jewish company that what the kids had been speaking about — they usually had been solely about 7 or 8 years previous, she mentioned — was this: One of many children had “solely introduced one toy together with her from house, as a result of the remainder of the toys had been blown up.”
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Stated Rabbi Davidson at a Friday night temple service in June as he described the extraordinary journey, “It was a congregational effort.”
“We simply know from our personal expertise that bearing witness is a sacred obligation.”
He thanked members of the congregation who donated provides that had been flown to Ukraine and distributed to the needy and displaced. He mentioned there have been additionally financial donations made within the type of grants.
“For every of us who made this journey, the expertise was a profound one,” mentioned Rabbi Davidson, “in methods we anticipated it will be — and in methods we didn’t.”
Martin Bell shared his experiences in Ukraine with members of the congregation throughout a current Friday night service. “We additionally noticed the easiest of humanity — the glory of humanity,” mentioned Bell, referencing the efforts of the Polish folks to assist the Ukrainians on a each day and ongoing foundation.
(Temple Emanu-El of New York Metropolis)
“We made the journey to carry reduction,” mentioned Rabbi Davidson.
“However we additionally made it to bear witness to the struggling of the Ukrainian folks, in a world that too usually not solely turns a blind eye to human struggling however permits it to be written out of historical past altogether. We simply know from our personal expertise that bearing witness is a sacred obligation.”
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He additionally wished to recollect “the extraordinary heroism of numerous Polish residents” who’re serving to the Ukrainian folks each day, giving of themselves and considering of others, day after day — and bringing hope for “a brighter tomorrow.” To this as properly, mentioned the rabbi, it is very important bear witness.
In Krakow particularly, the group skilled a “rising, vibrant, younger Jewish group.”
Rabbi Davidson additionally famous that in Krakow particularly, the group skilled a “rising, vibrant, younger Jewish group.”
Additionally, the group realized that “Poland right this moment will not be the hotbed of anti-Semitism we would suspect it to be due to twentieth century historical past there. There’s, in truth, an growing curiosity in Judaism inside the nation due to the significance of Jewish cultural life by centuries of Polish historical past previous to the Holocaust.”
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Lastly, he mentioned, “all of us felt a unprecedented sense of delight within the work of the Polish Jewish group to look after Ukrainians of each religion.”
It was “a robust journey,” mentioned the rabbi.
