Jewish leaders from Pittsburgh travel to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees
By: Lisa Smith/KDKA-TV News
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- As millions of Ukrainians flee their homes, Poland is the country that is seeing most of the refugees.
That is why local Jewish leaders were part of a recent delegation that traveled to Poland to see firsthand the crisis at the border.
"There were mats on the floor where people could sleep and places to shower and clean up and everything," said Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
He said an unused building was used as a temporary stop for many looking for rest after the long journey. They could only carry a couple of bags with their belongings.
"At the border, we heard stories of people it took four or five days to travel from the eastern part of Ukraine to get to the border crossing. And, once they got to the crossing, they had to stand in line for sometimes up to 14 hours to cross into Poland," Finkelstein said.
The delegation was made up of Jewish Federation members from across North America. They brought supplies with them like medications, diapers, toys and other necessities. Finkelstein said socks are in demand for those who have been on their feet for days and days.
He shared pictures with KDKA from the border town of Medyka, Poland. They showed families having a chance to eat, children playing with volunteers and one man wearing medals on his shirt. Finkelstein said he was a Holocaust survivor waiting for a flight to Israel.
"There's real human suffering and misery and fear about the future," he said. "We've seen it firsthand and it's really powerful."
Meanwhile, Natalya Shisman knows firsthand what it is like to be a Ukrainian refugee. She arrived in Pittsburgh with her family from the country when she was 4 years old.
"The first memory that I have is being at the airport and meeting a family who was JFCS volunteers, and we are still friends with them to this day," she said.
Now, her job is to help other refugees. She works at Jewish Family and Community Services in Pittsburgh. The agency is an official refugee resettlement agency. She said she has already worked with about 10 Ukrainian refugees, but watching the destruction in her home country is extremely difficult.
"It's terrible. We have family, we have friends who are still over there," she said.
The Biden administration expects to allow up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States. The JFCS expects there will be many that come to Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania because of the large Ukrainian population already living in the area.
If you need information about the JFCS Refugee and Immigration Services, you can contact them at refugee@jfcspgh.org.
