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With a dark winter looming in Ukraine, Jewish groups send generators and other support
(JTA) — Since Feb. 24, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Jewish groups from around the world have flooded the country with support, from food to medical care to evacuations.
Now, as temperatures fall and Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid ramp up, those groups are directing their efforts toward making sure that Ukrainian Jews can remain warm and safe in the coming months.
A Ukraine response group organized by the Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement, whose rabbis are the Jewish leaders in many Ukrainian cities, is raising funds to buy hundreds of generators to equip each its sites and the homes of needy Jews with backup power. Since the war’s start, Chabad houses and synagogues have become places of refuge and distribution sites for aid.
“Everyone knows our address,” Rabbi Shaul Horowitz, who leads Chabad in Vinnytsia, told Chabad.org, the movement’s news site. “Now we need the generators.”
Meanwhile, Jewish Federations of North America on Thursday announced another $7 million infusion for the Ukraine effort, adding to the $78 million that the group and its member federations have donated already. The new funding will pay for both supplies to manage the dangerous winter ahead and to help Russian Jews move to Israel, as tens of thousands have already done this year. (Russian pressure on the group that facilitates emigration to Israel has complicated the efforts of those who are eligible for Israeli citizenship to leave.)
Through the JDC, a group that aids Jews in peril worldwide, the donation will go to buy blankets, clothing, portable heaters and stoves, shelf-stable foods and other emergency items that will go to roughly 22,000 Ukrainian Jews and the organizations that serve them.
“The winter forecast in Ukraine is extremely concerning, with the potential for an even graver humanitarian crisis, and our latest allocation reflects our attention to the evolving needs on the ground and our ongoing commitment to provide relief where it is most needed,” JFNA’s president and CEO, Eric Fingerhut, said in a statement.
The moves come as Ukraine’s electrical supply is under extreme pressure, with blackouts increasingly frequent because of Russian shelling that has targeted the civilian power infrastructure. The country has even crafted a plan to evacuate all the residents of Kyiv, in the event that the capital city, Ukraine’s biggest, loses all power. Even if it does not, much of Ukraine is planning for a winter when power, heat and hot water cannot be counted upon.
Already, cities are subject to intermittent power losses and restrictions on use. Chaya Wolff, who with her husband directs Chabad of Odessa, told Chabad.org that their city had just experienced a four-hour loss of power. The group plans to buy 49 commercial generators as well as hundreds of smaller generators meant for home use.
“No lights, no computers, no smart boards — we don’t have any street lamps in the city at night,” Wolff told the site. “We need four commercial generators urgently. And there are only two available for purchase locally, at tens of thousands of dollars each.”
The JDC has supported Ukrainian Jews during the bleak winter months for years. This year, the group says, it will be doubling its aid amid what CEO Ariel Zwang said was a “drastic uptick in needs.” With the support of not only Jewish federations but also the Claims Conference, which supports Holocaust survivors, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and its own individual donors, the group recently delivered firewood, coal, warm clothing and bedding to Jews, many of them elderly, living in the Dnipro region.
“As a new stage in the Ukraine crisis has begun, we have moved from a program of winter relief to winter survival,” Zwang said in a statement. “Our staff and volunteers have not stopped our life-saving services within Ukraine, along with those for refugees in Europe, and will continue to ensure that Jews and Jewish communities have the supplies they need to survive the coming months.”
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English Premier League’s Arsenal Hosts Over 100 Soccer Professionals to Discuss Tackling Antisemitism
Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s home stadium. Photo: Nazmi Amin-Tai via Wikimedia Commons
The English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal hosted more than 100 professionals from across English soccer last week for a symposium on how to combat antisemitism in sports.
The event on Dec. 4 was attended by senior figures from soccer clubs, leagues, governing bodies, associations, and fan groups. They discussed antisemitism in British sports; the experiences of Jewish athletes, staff, and supporters; and how to develop new strategies for creating safer and more inclusive environments for the Jewish community.
As a result of the symposium, an industry toolkit was developed for clubs and governing bodies that will serve as a resource for how to include antisemitism awareness in equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, improve communication and reporting strategies, and guarantee that Jewish fans and staff feel “safe, represented, and included.” Each delegate vowed to implement at least one action in their organization.
The symposium was coordinated in partnership with Maccabi GB and the British government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, John Mann. Maccabi GB is Britain’s leading charity dedicated to Anglo-Jewish sports, health, and wellbeing, according to its website. It aims to create inclusive sporting, community, and educational environments for the Jewish community.
“Bringing people together to learn, share experiences, and commit to practical action is how we create a better future for Jewish players, staff, and supporters,” Maccabi GB chief executive Ashley Lerner said at the symposium. “In partnership with Lord Mann’s office, we are determined to ensure that the conversations held today lead to meaningful change across the sporting world.”
“Sport has a unique ability to bring people together — but it can also expose the prejudices that exist in wider society,” said Mann. “That is why this partnership with Maccabi GB is so important. We are equipping clubs, leagues, and governing bodies with the knowledge and confidence they need to identify antisemitism early and tackle it decisively. The willingness of football leaders to engage so openly today is not just encouraging — it is essential. We now have the opportunity to ensure that the lessons of the past translate into meaningful, measurable change for the future.”
The symposium took place on the 90th anniversary of the England–Germany match at White Hart Lane in London in 1935, when the visiting German team performed the Nazi salute on the pitch. Stephanie Peacock, the British minister for sport, tourism, civil society, and youth, spoke at the event about the British government’s commitment to working with those in sports and the Jewish community to address antisemitism.
“Sport should always be a place of belonging, pride, and unity,” Peacock said. “Antisemitism has no place in football or in British society, and I welcome the leadership shown today by Maccabi GB and Lord Mann. The government is committed to supporting this work, ensuring that clubs and governing bodies have the capability, confidence, and frameworks to prevent discrimination and respond effectively when it occurs. Tackling antisemitism strengthens not only Jewish participation in sport, but the integrity and inclusivity of the game as a whole.”
Last week’s symposium was held as part of a larger project called Tackling Antisemitism in Sport, which was established in September 2023 as a partnership between Maccabi GB and Mann’s office. More than 4,000 soccer professionals have participated in the program’s workshops, including all 20 Premier League clubs.
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Israel to Reopen Jordan Border Crossing for Passage of Aid, Goods After Terror Attack
Israeli police officers stand next to their cars at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
Israel is set to reopen the Allenby Crossing with Jordan to the passage of goods and aid on Wednesday, an Israeli security official said on Tuesday.
The border crossing has been closed to aid and goods since September, when a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces.
The security official said the crossing would have tightened screening for Jordanian drivers and truck cargo, and that a dedicated security force had been assigned to the crossing.
The Allenby Bridge is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank to reach Jordan.
The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks. The UN says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents, and other goods into Gaza.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Network It Accuses of Fueling War in Sudan
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on actors it accused of fueling the war in Sudan, taking aim at what it said was a transnational network that recruits former Colombian military personnel and trains soldiers, including children, to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The US Treasury Department in a statement seen by Reuters said that it imposed sanctions on four individuals and four entities that were part of the network, which it said was largely comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.
The Treasury said that since at least 2024, hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have traveled to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF, which the US has accused of committing genocide.
The Colombians have provided the RSF with tactical and training expertise and served as infantry and artillerymen, drone pilots and instructors, among other roles, with some training children to fight for the paramilitary group, according to Treasury, which added that Colombian fighters have participated in battles across Sudan, including in the capital Khartoum and al-Fashir.
“The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians — including infants and young children. Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John Hurley, said in the statement.
Among those targeted was Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, who the Treasury said was a dual Colombian-Italian national and a retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. It accused him of playing a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian military personnel to Sudan.
The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied.
“The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents,” Treasury said in the statement.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 out of a power struggle and has triggered famine, ethnic killings, and mass displacement. In November, US President Donald Trump said he would intervene to stop the conflict.
The United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – known as the Quad – earlier in November proposed a plan for a three-month truce followed by peace talks. The RSF responded by saying it had accepted the plan, but soon after attacked army territory with a barrage of drone strikes.