“Cooking for Ukraine”
Message from American Friends of POLIN Museum President Andrzej Rojek
Dear Friends of POLIN Museum,
During the last few weeks, we have witnessed unprecedented events. A war in Europe, for the first time since 1945, has started. Two adversaries, fascist Russia and democratic Ukraine, are in mortal combat. There will only be one victor and one victim. The victor will be the Ukrainian nation, and the victim will be the Ukrainian people. But this is just the beginning. The news from the war will get worse, the bloodshed will continue, the misinformation will spread far and wide. On top of that, in our daily lives, prices of oil and food will go up, interest rates will increase, and life will become harder. More often than not, there is nothing we, as individual citizens, can do against macro powers and gigantic worldwide developments.
However, there is something that we can do together now. Poland has accepted more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees to date. Think about this statement twice. No refugee camps. No fights or conflicts, just Poles united in their desire to help people who are being brutally attacked by Russian fascists. Families are taking Ukrainians into their homes, offering them food, shelter, healthcare, and all possible assistance. Impossible? Well, this will get worse. There are many more millions to come, and Poland, Polish people, not the Polish government, need help. Grassroots organizations need help in building the infrastructure to process and assist women and children arriving by trainloads and busloads. Men who can fight are not allowed to leave Ukraine.
What is needed? Please send money, not gifts. American dollars have appreciated by 15% against the Polish zloty, so your gifts will matter now more than ever! Volunteer to help in Poland – take a vacation if you can. If you speak Russian or Ukrainian, if you are a trained psychologist or psychiatrist, you are badly needed. Next, go to the local Ukrainian National Home and offer your assistance. Then write to your government. America must help – not only by sending bombs and rockets but by resettling the refugees and addressing the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. Special visas need to be granted and immigration procedures expedited.
POLIN Museum has been providing humanitarian aid since the very beginning of the war. Museum’s employees have been gathering supplies, transporting refugees, providing shelter in their homes, and volunteering in many other ways, in cooperation with other organizations and with the full support of POLIN Museum. As part of the “Cooking for Ukraine” project, Warsze, POLIN Museum’s restaurant, will be delivering hot meals to selected refugee centers in Warsaw for as long as needed. One two-course meal costs 20PLN / $4.70 USD. Rabbi Michael Schudrich and Piotr Wislicki, President of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, visited the Polish/Ukrainian border, and have been organizing assistance.
We promise that any funds that you send to the American Friends of POLIN account will be applied 100%, without any charges, to provide direct help to Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
This is a call for the global solidarity of citizens. We will not wait for state governments and large aid organizations. Help is needed now and will be transmitted today directly to the needy.
Sincerely,
Andrzej Rojek
President, American Friends of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
To Donate by credit card Cooking for Ukraine
By Check please note on donation Cooking for Ukraine
Checks payable to American Friends of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews should be mailed to:
American Friends of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
15 East 65th Street.
New York, NY 10065
As part of the “Cooking for Ukraine” project, POLIN Museum and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland are supporting refugees centers in Warsaw. POLIN Museum's restaurant, "Warsze," will deliver hot meals of Jewish dishes directly to the refugee centers.