As a result of the military actions in Eastern Ukraine over 1 million people were bound to leave their homes. Among them were thousands of Jewish families… Men… women… children… old people…

Imagine.. that your life has been uprooted in just several days…
Imagine… that you lost everything, you had – and everything you loved… work, home, assets, memories, close and beloved ones…
Imagine… that you have no place to go, and that you are not the only one. There are so many others, just like you, vulnerable and helpless, lost and perplexed, who has no one to count on, but the miracle.

ANATEVKA: Jewish Refuge Center became a true miracle for dozens of those, who lost everything, but hope!

Anatevka: Jewish Refuge Center

Listen to the words and testimonies of people who managed to escape the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine, fleeing from the war that suddenly erupted and put the end to their normal lives! Real people are struggling to restore their lives. Do you care?… We hope you do…

Thanks to the generosity of our supporter who prefers to remain unnamed and his son, every dollar you donate to Jewish Refugees from Eastern Ukraine and development of Anatevka WILL BE DOUBLED.

One Jewish boy has made a conscious decision to donate every penny he receives as a gift for his Bar Mitzvah to support of Anatevka, while his father not only approved his son’s decision, but also committed to match every dollar the community raises independently up to $100.000!!!

And now it’s in your hand to help us raise $100.000 ourselves and receive the generous Bar Mitzvah matching gift!

There are several types of help you might choose:

1. primary needs of the refugees (shelter, food, clothing, household equipment, etc.)
2. adaptation (psychological assistance, HR assistance, help in finding the job to get sustenance in the long-run)
3. capital building – so far we’ve built only one residential house, and our waiting list keeps growing. We really have to complete one more residential house before the winter, for it’s difficult to build when it’s snowing and freezing

Thank you for your support!

More about Anatevka: Jewish Refuge Center and Social Adaptation Complex

In May 2015 there was nothing, but a plot of muddy land, blessed by the presence of the Chernobyl Rebbe’s ohel (grave)…… and the vision of Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman, striving to alleviate sufferings of Jewish Refugees from Eastern Ukraine.

TODAY – thanks to the dedication and hard work of the entire Jewish Community of Kiev and support of people who care for our cause in less than one year we managed to build:

• the Jewish Kindergarten-School “Mitzvah”

• the Synagogue

• the Cheder (religious school for boys)

• and the spacious residential house for 20 families of Jewish refugees, sheltering 68 people!

Our Vision – Full-Fledged Jewish Refuge Center and Social Adaptation Complex able to host and protect the needy Jews of Ukraine, who depend on our support more than ever!

The plans are to create:

• 3 more houses for Jewish Refugees from the Eastern Ukraine and Impoverished Families
• Orphanage
• Senior Care Residential Facility
• Rehabilitation Health Center for Children and Adults
• Sport and Recreational Complex
• Museum of Hassidic and Jewish History of Ukraine
• Preservation of Chernobyl Rebbe’s Ohel

Do you think it’s unrealistic? Plz listen to the words of one of our supporters, who at first also didn’t believe in our idea, until he arrived to Anatevka himself…

Also we welcome you to read media about Anatevka

Foreign Policy, by Linda Kinstler (Posted on Aug 10, 2016)

Jewish Journal, by Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA (Posted on Mar. 15, 2016)

i24 News, posted on Jul. 17, 2015

European Jewish Congress, posted on Jul. 20, 2015

UNIAN (Ukrainian Information Agency), posted on Jul. 21, 2015

YNET World News (Hebrew), posted on Sep.03, 2015

WE UNDERSTAND, YOU STILL MIGHT HAVE DOUBTS AND CONCERNS.

Thus we did our best to address all the issues that might prevent you from supporting Anatevka.

Q. So, you want to create a community? Really? If they are Jews, may they go to Israel. By all means it makes more sense to help those refugees to get settled in a larger city, like Kiev, rather than in a remote village.

For such people Anatevka became the only way to restore their lives and reclaim the feeling of rootedness.

Q. I’ve heard there are various funds and volunteering organizations operating in Ukraine now, that support refugees from Eastern Ukraine. Why don’t you let them do their job, and you can focus on the Community affairs, must be plenty

A. You are right, today in  Ukraine there are amazing professionals who dedicate their time and resources to alleviating the suffering of the people whose life was shattered overnight. Moreover, the members of the Jewish Community of Kiev played a prominent role in shaping of the volunteer movement in Ukraine and establishment of large centers for distribution of humanitarian aid. But… Anatevka is different from any occasional help one may receive, for it caters not only for the material needs, but a soul. It’s a place where people can learn Jewish values in their everyday life, when they see the acts of kindness and tzedakkah extended to them as fellow Jews, their children go to Jewish school and receive Jewish education, while all adults find things to do in order to support the emerging community… In Anatevka people learn to appreciate they are Jews and understand their own mission in this world: Tikkun Olam.

Q. Do you mean these Jewish Refugees shall enjoy an idyllic life at your utopian community at my expense? Are they going to start working someday?

A. SURE. Anatevka is just a 30-min ride from Kiev and majority of our residents goes to work every day. The advantage of Anatevka is that they shouldn’t worry about their children, they are taken care of at our Kindergarten-School “Mitzvah”. Also, we help congregants to find a job by providing for them HR services, sending them to training courses to upgrade their level of proficiency.

Moreover, all donations are tax-deductible, so you can use your money in a smart and kind way.

Q. Do your residents pay rent?

A. It depends; and the pay varies in each individual case. Some have already begun to cover all the expenses, including maintenance and utilities, others need yet more time. There are some people who will never be able to take care of their expenses, like our Synagogue gatekeeper, a Holocaust survivor in his 80s… Here we rely on the generosity of our supporters. You may become one of them.

Q. I don’t quite understand, how you plan to sustain Anatevka in the long-run? Are you going to depend on donations for good?

A. Not at all. Plz see above our plans regarding the facilities to be built in Anatevka, including Senior Care Residential Facility, Rehabilitation Health Center for Children and Adults, Sport and Recreational Complex, Museum of Hassidic and Jewish History of Ukraine… All of them shall become both a source of income and the touristic attraction; and also they’ll create working places for our residents.

Q. If you are going to establish a for-profit infrastructure, how it goes along with the charitable status of your community? Why should people donate to support business?

A. We plan to use the income from the facilities, that can potentially generate profit, to maintain our purely charitable institutions, in the first turn the Kindergarten-School and the Synagogue. Our donors may consider themselves as benefactors who perform the highest level of Tzeddakkah, and give the needy not the fish, but the fishing rod.

Q. Ok, you convinced me. So how can I help?   

A. There are several types of help you might choose:

1. primary needs of the refugees (shelter, food, clothing, household equipment, etc.)
2. adaptation (psychological assistance, HR assistance, help in finding the job to get sustenance in the long-run)
3. capital building – so far we’ve built only one residential house, and our waiting list keeps growing. We really have to complete one more residential house before the winter, for it’s difficult to build when it’s snowing and freezing.

DO YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER!

PLZ SUPPORT US BY SHARING THIS CAMPAIGN WITH YOUR NETWORK!