This is How Hundreds of Refugees Are Celebrating Passover in Poland
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now in its third month, the humanitarian and refugee crises are only growing more dire.
Almost 5 million Ukrainians, or more than a tenth of the nation, fled to neighboring nations. Millions more lost homes or became internally displaced as Russian shelling of peaceful cities continues.
Poland, which neighbors Ukraine to the west, has seen by far the largest influx of refugees, taking in 2.5 million. The actual numbers change constantly, as many cross or re-cross the border to return home or collect loved ones.
A Bittersweet Passover After Escaping Ukraine
As the war continues, more and more holidays need to be celebrated in less-than-ideal circumstances.
A weeklong Jewish celebration that marks the Jews’ exodus from Egypt and slavery, Passover usually marks the start of spring.
But has been a particularly difficult one for the refugees who managed to flee Ukraine this year.
This year’s Passover also coincides with the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, an organized resistance that prevented the Nazis from transporting a number of remaining Jews to Polish concentration camps near the tail end of World War II.
Jewish Federations of North America
To mark the 79th anniversary, a group of Jewish-Ukrainian refugees currently stranded in Poland gathered at the site of the uprising in Warsaw’s Old Town.
There, they shared the ritual Passover meal known as a seder, organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the UJA-Federation of New York.
The Jewish Federations of North America has been rallying funds to support those fleeing Ukraine and raised over $50 million.
It also has helped bring people in Warsaw, Budapest and other European cities that have been seeing large numbers of displaced Jewish Ukrainians.
In Warsaw, over a hundred refugees showed up at the first seder on Friday, April 15.
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Hope At A Difficult Time
“I am seeing so much good from multiple organizations that are collaborating together to help,” Ana Sazonov, the 34-year-old head of the Jewish Federation’s Columbia, South Carolina branch, told TheStreet.
“To witness humanity coming together warms my heart and keeps me optimistic about our future.”
Sazonov, who is the descendant of a Holocaust survivor and fled Ukraine as a child during earlier periods of unrest, has been on the ground in Poland and Hungary as part of the mission.
Jewish Federations of North America
“This is my calling and my service to be here and to serve my people on multiple levels, by being Ukrainian and by saving my Jewish brothers and sisters,” Sazonov said.
The War Continues To Devastate
While uplifting efforts like the one can be an important way to lift spirits during a difficult time, the devastation caused by the war continues to mount.
Since Russian troops officially entered the country on Feb. 24, close to 3,000 civilians died amidst the shelling.
Countless cities and small towns have been bombed and, amid the devastation, the level of the humanitarian catastrophe keeps on rising.
Jewish Federations of North America
On an economic scale, the damage has also been staggering.
The World Bank estimated that the 45.1% drop in the country’s GDP since the start of the war.
While physical damage is difficult to calculate while fighting is ongoing, the latest estimates peg it at at least $80 billion.
The hit to Russia’s economy, which saw an exodus of international countries and was cut off from the global SWIFT banking system for starting the war, has also held reverberations experienced around the world.
That has including soaring gas and food prices to supply chain issues caused by disrupted trade patterns.
