Over the past few weeks, many people made the High Holidays extra special for Jewish children from Ukraine. With support from Ethan Gross, the CEO of Globe Midwest Adjusters International, we undertook a campaign to support the children of the Alumim and Mishpacha orphanages, from Zhitomir and Odessa, respectively. Mr. Gross’ pledge to match donations, doubling the impact of every contribution, reflects his deep commitment to these children, which dates back to the early days of the war. In November 2022, Mr. Gross traveled to visit the Mishpacha Orphanage at its temporary location in Berlin (as well as the permanent home in Odessa to which the kids returned in March of 2023). In the Spring of 2023, Ethan and his wife traveled to Ashkelon, Israel to visit the Alumim Children’s Home. The children from Alumim made a harrowing journey from Zhitomer to Israel, shortly after the war began, and then they had to run from danger a second time, when rockets and missiles targeted their home in Ashkelon.
Both of these homes provide a warm and loving environment for children whose parents suffer from one or more conditions including mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, and/or economic instability. Ongoing efforts are made to assist the parents and ultimately unify the families; in fact, many of the parents and other family members traveled with the children when they fled Ukraine, to Berlin in the case of the Mispacha Orphanage, and to Israel for the Alumim Home.
The recent fundraising campaign for the two orphanages allowed us to buy new clothes, as well as provide festive meals and fun activities for the children. The staff at the Mishpacha said it best, with similar sentiments expressed by the director of the Alumim home:
“We are deeply grateful for the incredible generosity you have shown to the Mishpacha Orphanage in Odessa. Your kindness and dedication to making the world a better place have provided us with the resources to celebrate the High Holidays with joy, even in these challenging times here in Ukraine.
Thanks to you and the compassionate participants, the children in our care have been able to start the New Year with happiness and the reassuring feeling that they are not alone. Your support is indeed a powerful spiritual investment, and it has brought immense joy to our community.”
We are grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Gross and all the generous donors who made this campaign a success.
Together we save lives and restore hope.
