The Diaspora Department of the World Zionist Organization sent a delegation to Poland last week to assist with the care of Jewish Ukrainian refugees. The experiences described below took place during the delegation’s visit.
In central Warsaw, life seems completely normal. As if the capital of Poland, haunted by wars and pogroms of the past, would prefer to ignore and distance itself from the horrors taking place in Ukraine next-door.
A few minutes away though, in the suburbs of the city, tens of thousands of refugees are desperate to find shelter. But a single moment in a municipal stadium containing thousands of women and children from Ukraine made the significance of the war and its implications for Israel abundantly clear.
Upon entering the stadium, we were approached by a Ukrainian man who identified us as Jews by the kippah on my head. In broken English, he explained that he and his wife have Israeli passports but the rest of his immediate family only have Ukrainian passports. Within minutes, the members of our delegation helped them reach a hotel in central Warsaw, while quickly gathering the necessary information and documents needed for the Israeli embassy. Two days later, they landed in Israel as new olim.
Last week, a delegation made up of members of the Diaspora Department of the World Zionist Organization together with psychologists and social workers from the Israeli Trauma Coalition was sent to Poland. The purpose of the delegation was to train the members of the Jewish community in Poland to treat the trauma and anxiety of the many Jewish refugees who come to them in an acute mental health state.
Unfortunately, Israel has extensive experience in the areas of anxiety and trauma. Israel also has tremendous experience in overcoming crises and finding strength on the other side. For the Jewish refugees of Ukraine and the Polish communities helping to care for them, this experience became an advantage.
It was not by chance that all the therapeutic professionals in the delegation came from areas surrounding Gaza. Their many years of experience gained from dealing with populations attacked by terrorism became an asset with which they could help other Jews in need of exactly that specialization.
The members of the delegation visited Jewish communities in Warsaw, Ottobuk and Lublin. The mental-health professionals in the delegation also worked directly with local psychological services of Poland.
Over five very intense days, the delegation trained over fifty community members and treated dozens of refugees who were in an acute condition.
While the delegations and aid being sent to Europe are certainly helpful and appreciated, this moment in history offers the chance for so much more. This is a once in a generation opportunity for the Israel and its institutions to fulfill the true Zionist dream. This time of global crisis presents a window for a huge wave of immigration and absorption that will greatly strengthen Israel and its identity.
Tens of thousands of Jews and those entitled to the Law of Return are looking for a new place to call home. We must use all our resources to act swiftly and help bring them here to Israel. Bureaucratic entanglements must be resolved and communities must be recruited for the task of ensuring rapid absorption. This is an effort that requires us all to work together to fulfil the mission of bringing Jews home to Israel.
Just as important though, we must remember to be attentive to the needs of the Jewish communities in Eastern European countries. These communities are overwhelmed and under unprecedented pressure to absorb thousands of Jewish refugees, whose mental health is unstable and suffering. It is our responsibility to assist these communities in creating the necessary infrastructure and community resilience to address this challenge. In Israel, we must remember that we have a responsibility not just to those living in or coming to Israel, but for all Jews in all times of need.
Sometimes, opportunities can arise from great tragedy and we must be ready to meet the challenge when they do. Let us not waste this one.
The writer is head of the Diaspora Department of the World Zionist Organization.