The Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors notes the bombing, by the Russian Army, which killed five people and which took place near to Babyn Yar on 1 March 2022, the site of one of the largest mass murders of the Holocaust.
In just two days, in September 1941, 34,000 residents of Kyiv were murdered by Nazis and collaborators, shot a bullet at a time. For years a memorial at Babyn Yar has stood to remember the civilian lives taken at a time when evil ruled over so much of Europe.
We have watched with horror as our courageous colleagues have been faced with a choice of fleeing for safety or to remain in shelters to minister to their communities. We have watched the harrowing scenes of Ukrainians bravely defending their country from the onslaught of Putin’s forces.
As rabbis and cantors of Liberal Judaism we will be praying with our communities for peace and an end to Russian aggression and a return to the full sovereign integrity of Ukraine, we pledge support to the World Union for Progressive Judaism and World Jewish Relief in their efforts to provide aid, we are willing to support all attempts to provide refuge in the UK to anyone fleeing from Ukraine and we request the government do more to provide safe passage to the refugees.
We ask the UK government to ensure it is exhausting every option to protect innocent lives from the evil rising once again under Putin.
We call on our members to help in three ways:
1) Donate to one or both of these appeals, which are working on the ground to help Jews and non-Jews in Ukraine.
World/European Union for Progressive Judaism: www.eupj.org/eupj-ukraine-emergency-support-fund (donate in £) or www.wupj.org/give/ukraine (donate in $)
World Jewish Relief: www.worldjewishrelief.org/ways-to-donate/appeals/1267-ukraine-crisis-appeal
2) Email or write to your MP to ask that the Government admit Ukrainian refugees irrespective of whether they have family connections here.
Join the campaign against the Government’s planned Immigration and Borders bill, which will make it harder for refugees to come here. You can find more information via www.safepassage.org.uk.
3) Send messages of support to our Progressive Jewish communities in Ukraine. We have heard first hand how much these mean to those in the country. Make a video, draw a picture (like the beautiful ones from young Liberal Jews that illustrate this article) or write a note. If you send it to ceo@liberaljudaism.org and we will make sure it gets passed on.