In Israel, when the two-minute siren sounds at 11 am on Yom Hazikaron, the Jewish State's Memorial Day, the nation comes to a halt. As we saw just two weeks ago, cars on streets and highways pull over, and drivers and passengers get out of their vehicles to stand and observe a moment of sile…
A veteran of Federation partner JDC’s youth leadership programs in Ukraine, Masha couldn’t wait to become a community leader in Donetsk. When conflict arrived, she was forced to flee to safety in Kharkov, becoming one of 2,800 internally displaced Ukrainian Jews.
But Masha refused to …
Israel’s Yom Ha’atzmaut — Independence Day — is particularly meaningful for my family. My uncle brought his family to the country from Poland in 1936, and he and my aunt fought on the streets of Tel Aviv in the War of Independence in 1948. My grandmother’s sister and her husband es…
When fighting broke out in Donetsk, Ukraine between the government and separatist forces last year, Raisa Libenson believed she and her family would be safe at home.
It wasn’t until a mortar shell tore through the walls and furniture of her apartment, leaving the 78-year-old temporarily d…
The future looked bright for Mira’s family. They were saving up and had even added a new room to their modest home. Then the twin earthquakes of 2015 destroyed all their progress. By helping her tap into her passion for sewing, Federation partner JDC helped Mira lift her family out of a te…
