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Ways to Help Ukraine
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 - Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Ways to Help Ukraine
We will begin loading our containers to send to Ukraine on Friday, May 20! Click here to sign up to help.
Donate Supplies Locally
Led by our congregant Mariya Kemper-Reiss, Temple Beth El and The Giving Tree have teamed up with other Boca Raton community organizations to accept donations of essential humanitarian aid items to help those in Ukraine.
Boca Helps Ukraine is currently accepting donations of new and gently used coats to be shipped to displaced families in Ukraine to help keep them warm this winter.
Donation Sites:
Temple Beth El Schaefer Family Campus
333 SW 4th Avenue
Boca Raton, FL 33432
Temple Beth El Beck Family Campus
9800 Yamato Road
Boca Raton, FL 33434
For more information, contact [email protected]
Donate Funds Globally
- The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, in solidarity with the Jewish Federations of North America, is collecting funds to be distributed to the Joint Distribution Committee, the Jewish Agency, and World ORT. You can contribute to that effort at jewishboca.org/give/ukrainenow
- The World Union for Progressive Judaism is collecting funds to support the individuals and families in the Jewish community of Ukraine to help ensure their safety and well-being. You can contribute to that effort at wupj.org/give/ukraine
- Magen David Adom has been sending aid to Ukraine throughout this conflict. From sending a delegation of Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking paramedics to Poland to treat injured Ukrainians at the border, to having armored ambulances on the ground and sending more on the way, to sending a command and control center to coordinate relief efforts to save lives, MDA, Israel’s National Ambulance Service has been working diligently to treat the innocent and provide humanitarian assistance. Please click here to donate to this effort today or send your check with appeal notated Magen David Adom Ukraine Emergency Appeal.
Donate Medical Supplies via Amazon
Purchase medical supplies from this Amazon Wishlist and choose “UkrPoshta Dnipro LLC / Humanitarian Aid, Roselle, New Jersey” as your shipping address. These items are being shipped directly to a facility that will fly them over to be distributed throughout Ukraine.
Purchase Ukrainian Products
Learn More About the Jewish Population in Ukraine
From the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry
Event Speakers
Mark B. Levin, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of NCSEJ: National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry since 1992, is one of the organized Jewish community’s leading experts on national and international political and legislative issues. Mr. Levin travels extensively throughout the former Soviet region on a frequent basis.
In 2008, Mr. Levin received the Soviet Jewry Freedom Award from the Russian Jewish Community Foundation, and the Order of Merit medal from Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko. In 2006, Mr. Levin was honored for 25 years of distinguished service with NCSEJ.
Mr. Levin made his first trip to Russia in 1982, leading a Congressional delegation to meet with Soviet officials and Jewish activists. He organized the first International Parliamentary Spouses for Soviet Jews Conference in Washington, D.C. Mr. Levin was instrumental in creating the Congressional Coalition for Soviet Jews – one of the largest Congressional caucuses ever formed.
In 1987, as a member of the Summit Task Force, Mr. Levin was a key figure in organizing the Washington Mobilization on behalf of Soviet Jews which brought more than 250,000 people to the nation’s capital on for the December 6 “Freedom Sunday” rally. In 2002, he again worked closely with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and other NCSEJ member agencies to organize the massive April 15 “National Rally for Israel.”
Kira Melamed-Vainberg was born and grew up in Ukraine. In her teens, she worked at the Jewish Agency of Ukraine in youth groups and summer camps.
When Kira made Aliyah to Israel in 2001, her parents moved from Zhytomyr to Kyiv, where her mom still lives.
Kira moved to Florida in 2016 and has been working at Temple Beth El since 2019.
In 1989, Mariya Kemper’s family immigrated to the United States as political refugees. Their journey was a long one and they were called “stateless” as they had to give up their citizenship upon leaving. They traveled to Austria and stayed in a small motel with many other refugees. From Austria, they traveled to Italy and stayed there for 4 months while they awaited the documents to enter the United States. They arrived in December of 1989 which marked the beginning of their American Dream.
After a few years of high school, Kemper attended Baruch College 1992-1996. Upon graduation, she began a career in Advertising – Strategic Media Planning. It turned into a 20-year career with flagship clients like Hershey, Merck, Lufthansa, MoMA and Chanel. As a Senior Partner, Managing Director, she was responsible for spearheading clients’ media efforts in a multi-channel approach.
Kemper retired in 2016, in order to be able to be more present with my family, – husband Brian, sons Logan and Cooper. Since then, she has been active in school PTAs, fundraising efforts for multiple charities, HOA Community Boards, etc. No longer able to do ballet, she has picked up new hobbies like tennis, gardening and even bee keeping.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24th, she has thrown herself into every opportunity to help Ukraine and Ukrainians in their time of need. She is deeply worried about her family and all her childhood friends who remain in Kiev at this moment. Her heart breaks for all of Ukraine and its quest for Freedom. And she will do anything to support Ukraine – now and forever!
