Dear Friends,
I am heartened to share that I am going to Poland on Sunday with a delegation from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to help with the Ukrainian refugee crisis . As a Ukrainian Jew, I have felt helpless watching the news from overseas and am grateful to get to help those in need on the ground. I will be gone for two weeks and will send you updates from Poland. I will also host a conversation (whether virtual or in person is to be decided) when I come back, so I can answer your questions and hopefully bring back a better understanding of how we can be of support from our corner of the world.
Your support on the ground in our community also makes a big difference:
- Riverdale Y, in coordination with Council Member Eric Dinowitz, as well as HIR/The Bayit, AFYA and Blue Rose are collecting items to support Ukrainians abroad:
– Here is a list of all the general supplies that the Y is collecting at our Sunday Market and at the Y.
– You can bring medical supplies to HIR in Riverdale and AFYA in Yonkers, as well as specific supplies to Blue Rose which charters planes to Ukraine. - Gather in solidarity with Ukraine with our local community neighbors at the Russian Diplomatic Compound at 4pm each Sunday at 255th and Mosholu.
- Support our partners, such as UJA, JAFI, and JDC, who are working on the ground in and around Ukraine.
These efforts are coordinated by several people in our organization:
- Rabbi Joseph Robinson (jrobinson@riverdaley.org), who is our Director of Community Engagement. He is speaking with various religious, political and lay leaders to gather strength in our community.
- Shira Silverman (ssilverman@riverdaley.org) is our Sunday Farmer’s Market Manager. Besides having an amazing assortment of fresh farm fruits, vegetables and other goodies, Shira is actively involved in food justice and collecting items to help our families who are affected by various calamities.
- Myself, Alexandra Nyashina – Director of Volunteer Services.
Please contact Joseph and Shira at the above email addresses with any questions as I won’t be able to respond to emails while I’m away. After I come back on April 18, please reach out to me at anyashina@riverdaley.org. I will be happy to help, and connect you with an opportunity to make a difference.
The Book of Kohelet says: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” We could not have acted until we had everything lined up. Now is the time to make a difference, whether supporting through donations, purchasing and delivering items on the needed list, or joining in person to sort through the items that are needed.
I will post blogs on this particular link as often as is practical. We will also send links to the blog weekly in our eblast.
Friends, I thank you for your support. I take the heart and spirit of Riverdale with me.
– Alexandra
