Jews in Ukraine

[yuneeq]

Update-

This bus was turned into an ambulance today so we can be ready to take elders and sick out of the war zone tom bh

Videos:
https://streamable.com/buhrwb
https://streamable.com/aw9ddn

[yuneeq]

Update I missed from yesterday that covers the previous few days:

TOTAL LIVES SAVED - UPDATE
3/21-23
City #1-  3/21 - 33
City #1- 3/22 - 28
City #1  - 3/23 - 16
City #2  3/21 - 110 (2 bus 55x2) City #2 3/22 - 55
City #2 3/23 - 105
City #3 3/21 (48, 46, 5) 99
City #3 3/22 - 44
City #4 3/23 - 71
City #5- 1
City #6 3/21 (20 plus 3) - 23
City #6 3/23 (3 fam;4,4,2) - 10
City #7 - 300

Total lives saved over last 2 days is 895😇

We have now saved over 13,000 lives!!! That’s an unimaginable number of lives that together we saved. It was just a few weeks ago that a few community members met on a Sunday morning thinking about how we’re going to help some of the Jewish families that are in harms way in Ukraine, and here we are now. Imagine the power just one person has that wants to do good, all you have to do is take the first step and Hashem

Thanks to everyone’s effort, this amazing mission can not be accomplished without everyone’s financial contributions and of course Hashems help.

As we mentioned the other night on our live event, the only way to extract people out and get them out of harms way is with money, and every dollar helps!

[yuneeq]

Thanks for posting these updates

You’re welcome, I’m glad you’re reading them. For me - these updates really opened my eyes (and heart) to what’s actually going on the ground - the cost and danger of a mission to save even a single person. The amount of improvisation involved proves how difficult it is to accomplish what used to be simple every day tasks.

And if I can get peoples hearts open, hopefully they will donate to worthy causes.

[yuneeq]

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1507143265933484035
https://twitter.com/lapatina_/status/1507096211974762502

Sadly this is the case in multiple cities, hearing stories of melting snow to drink as water, drinking mikveh water, and etc.

[yuneeq]

IMPORTANT - xxxxxxxx
Today bh we took out 76 people. One 15 yr old boy has a sad story. He was badly injured in a bombing and lost one leg that needed to be amputated, the second leg was badly injured. We put him on the bus out of Kharkov today to send him to Europe to get operated on to save his other leg.

IMPORTANT - xxxxxxxx
Bh today we took out 1 bus with 44 people. In the city we have 5 buses going around and delivering food to the people in the city. We should be also getting a shipment of medicine on Sunday. The situation in the city is deteriorating. Rabbi xxxxxxxx  went to Israel and visited 3 refugee communities from his city - and he hopes to return to xxxxxx to assist his people.

IMPORTANT - xxxxxx
Today we had 1 large bus of 55 people. In the city as well they give out throughout the week 8000 packages of food, Its given to elderly, widows etc. They also distribute Medicines.

[yuneeq]

Yesterday:

Here is a boy we took out on Friday from xxxxxxx that was injured in a bombing and had shrapnel in his back and lung. We got him out of the xxxxxx hospital and brought him to another city where he did the operation on 3/26.

Clip: https://streamable.com/8m41yj

"Shavua tov.
 Maxim had surgery today.
 The fragment was removed from the lung.
 Ira was placed in the ward with him.
 On Monday, they are going to do an MRI, check the condition of the spinal cord.

They took a fragment from the cervical vertebra"

-Bh today we were successful to take out a father his wife and young baby through Rabbi xxxx Bh. We tried 3 times and were finally successful to reach them as the road was not clear to go through. They were living in a dark basement for 2 weeks. This man was an active participant in the synagogue.




IMPORTANT -xxxxxx
Today we took out 1 small bus with 19 people on it. Bh. I asked Rabbi xxxxx  if there is any cities around him that we can extract people out as he is in the heavy danger area, he said yes he wants to start a mission to save the 250 Jews in an adjacent city called xxxxxxxx Will update you on this as it develops.

[yuneeq]

Good morning everyone, as our work is far from over we have spent the last week or so working closely with all parties involved to make sure our efforts will yield the best results for the people we have helped and for the continued progress we make to help anyone new.

We will continue to share appropriate updates with you all as we would like to keep everyone informed.

As the war wages on and the circumstances become more difficult, our missions become that much harder. To date we have collectively saved over 16,000 lives and as we should all be very proud of that massive accomplishment, we in no way are ready to celebrate as there is still much to do.

Let us continue to Pray and with Hashem's help we will get through this together.

IMPORTANT -xxxxx
In the morning they had a chance to gather all the people who were ready to leave and then the bombing began again. On and off throughout the day - but bh they said lets wait it out as we might get a window for the bus that came to leave the city. Bh they opened the streets and 42 left today. The bombing was too heavy outside the city so they were unsuccessful in the small near towns to take anyone out. Last night however 7 did get out and were on the bus today. They slept overnight on the floor in the kindergarten. Bh they also had a chance to do some food deliveries around the city to the elderly and sick.

IMPORTANT - Xxxxxx
Bombing started very heavy the past 2 days in xxxxx, since Shabbat. Today, rockets landed on both sides of the streets 2 blocks away from the synagogue. People were trapped in their homes for safety. We have food coming to the city as Rabbi Xxxxxx purchased 10 tons from xxxxx and they have drivers that volunteered to do deliveries for elders etc we bh they can get the food around when it arrives as the past 2 days they couldn't do deliveries.
Shabbat we were successful to take out people of two adjacent cities that have been closed entirely by cars.
Xxxxxxx- 8 ppl (2 cars)
Xxxxxxxx - 4 ppl (1 car)
Total 12 ppl

4/3 - 4/4 - we could not leave the city. We currently have many people signed up that are nervous to leave the city and also the surrounding cities, bh tom we hope to have a break from the bombing to get a chance to leave.

[yuneeq]

Here is a boy that we took out on Purim. He went into Germany today and did a brit milah!



IMPORTANT - Xxxxx
 The bombings continued today. Rabbi Xxxxxx says they are mentally drained from constantly running to the shelters upon hearing the sirens. It does not end. Bh we sent out a bus today with 45 people on it. Rabbi Xxxxx said he had great news is when we bring a bus we pay for security for the buses as well to the border, this allowed an additional 500 ppl to leave with their private cars as they joined our daily security convoys!

[yuneeq]

Updates from yesterday:

-Update: 2 missions took place yesterday (30 and 300) total lives saved from just those 2 missions are 330 people!!
Here is the deaf lady that was in the group of 330...Here is a beautiful ending the deaf lady landed today in Israel and here is her son to receive her. Remember we took her out of the bombings …. Really amazing!!



-Because of everyone’s help , thank G-D we just passed the 17,000 number of how many lives we have saved… 17,013 to be exact!!!

Once in my life I had the ability and skill set to help someone that was choking on some food and was unable to breathe. I preformed the Heimlich maneuver and was able to save his life. Until this day, every time he sees me he is so grateful and reminds me it.

I tell you the story only because collectively we have not just saved one life, but we saved over 17,000 lives and still going strong… that is absolutely astonishing!

[yuneeq]

-Using Shabbat candles to stay alive: https://streamable.com/kvzztk

-This young boy got shot in his spine the city had no electricity to operate on him and he waited a month until we extracted him to bring him to a hospital for an operation. I hope he can walk again. https://streamable.com/khlke7

-Here are the people staged at the synagogue of Xxxxxx waiting for us many days to pick them up to bring them to safety: https://streamable.com/1m86yx

-We took this lady out from Mariopal she was born in 1935 during the war, holocaust survivor. She is on her way to Germany with her daughter

[Ralphie]

Any updates?

[Moshe123]

Are there any Jews left living in the Donbas?

Situation there is deteriorating to Mariupol levels.

[yuneeq]

Update I received from someone that traveled to visit the refugees in Europe/Israel:

I would like to share a story that happened today on my trip in Israel visiting Ukrainian refugees.

Although I saw a lot - one story I want to tell you now. We went to visit a real Yeshivah today and walked into the bet medrash and saw over 25 Ukrainian and Russian refugees sitting and learning with a chavruta. Here is a few pics.





They are learning with regular yeshiva boys as they are being taught to learn. I walked over to talk to one of the main boys who arranged for a group of his friends to get out and we talked.

He said he was with 50 boys all together by the border waiting for someone to pay the money and give him the all clear so they can cross...And then I finished the story for him. I said it took a few days but we sent 300k to allow them to go. His hands started to shake and cried - you saved me! This happened in front of a group. He then asked me if I can save his mother as well - I said my pleasure.

After that the whole group went to the Rosh Yeshivah's home as he was seeking assistance from the Vaad to help them with the costs of the boys living in Yeshivah. The boy then got up and told over the story with tears and choked up.

https://streamable.com/i1achh

[yuneeq]

More from the same trip:

Trip Summary:
Monday
We landed in Constanta, Romania and traveled to Neptune, Romania to visit the Tikva community. A few hundred people from the Tikva orphanage and community escaped Odessa as a whole group and have stayed together for the past few months in a rented hotel. The Agudah did not take them out but has been helping them with the expenses monthly for food, housing etc. Rabbi Fhima traveled 30 hours to join us there.

Here we see the young children mostly orphans or that have parents still in Ukraine.

https://streamable.com/g9ddx5

Here is a video of us on the floor with the young orphans, so sad. They hold on to you and don't want to let go.

https://streamable.com/bswlv8







Tuesday
We arrived in Jerusalem Monday night and had a breakfast setup for the Vaad. I was asked to bring some guests, so I invited a few of the Ukrainian Rabbis so the group can hear what is needed on the ground and allocate more funds to rescue. I also invited 3 refugees as well.

But when the people heard that someone from the Syrian community was here, they wanted to say thank you. So about 50(!) refugees came. It was very moving and emotional.



Some of the sad moments
1. She and her son sitting next to her were saved from Mariopal but her daughter; 32 years old was kidnapped by the Russians and she has no idea what happened to her.
2. We rescued her also from Mariopal but she said in tears while the bombs were falling she dug a grave for her mother a casualty of the bombings with her own hands - no shovel.

Partial group of refugees visited the kotel right after.



Some of the families left their home at 430am to travel accross Israel to come today, they wanted to say thank you. Some couldn't sleep the night before. They are begging to see the group who gave them back their lives.

[ExGingi]

https://twitter.com/HirshelGrinspan/status/1567775494031941632

https://twitter.com/HirshelGrinspan/status/1567779451299135490