At this very minute, Rabbis all over the world are preparing food, speeches, and accommodations for the perfect seder night. But for Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber Stambler and his brother Rabbi Mayer Stambler of Chabad of Warsaw, Poland, the magnitude of this Pesach is greater than ever imagined.
“From the very first days of the war,” Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber says, “Ukrainian refugees were welcomed into Chabad of Warsaw. And more are coming every day.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created the largest refugee crisis since World War II, with Poland receiving more refugees than all other European countries combined. Every day, Stambler provides Jewish refugees with shelter, hot meals, and medical care.
“We need financial support to help people who are in real need,” Stambler says. One million dollars is needed to cover the next two months’ worth of emergency operations which includes food, accommodations, and transportation, medical care, psychologists, and child care.
“If not for Chabad we would be homeless,” says fifteen-year-old refugee Nastya Shpot who escaped from Donetsk to Warsaw with her mother and sisters. Nastya’s father is fighting on the front lines, and her grandparents are too old to escape their village. Now, Nastya volunteers with Chabad by bringing other refugees to Chabad and providing them with food and clothing.
Each day, Chabad provides transportation from the border to Warsaw and other destinations. Some refugees come by bus and others arrive via train. Some individuals show up all alone, searching for lost relatives. When refugees arrive with medical conditions, Stambler sends an ambulance to greet them at the border.
Upon arrival at Chabad, Stambler arranges help with legal documents, medical challenges, and more. “It takes a lot of effort,” he says.
Once the refugees have arrived, Chabad provides them with appropriate housing. “We rent apartments or find them a hotel,” says Stambler. Due to a shortage of beds, Chabad rented out a hotel in Warsaw to house refugees. In honor of Pesach, Stambler has arranged a special Kosher for Pesach kitchen and dining hall to provide for hundreds of refugees.
Refugees are flooding Chabad of Warsaw every day, looking to them to fulfill their most basic needs. “We don’t know where the funding will come from,” says Stambler. “We ask you brothers and sisters to help us help them.”
We urgently need to raise $1M to get us through Pesach and the next 2 months’ worth of emergency operations.
It is a matter of life and death for those who have already lost their country, their homes, and their loved ones.
Please give generously.
Chabad of Warsaw, Poland
For more options and further assistance, email office@chabad.org.pl
Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Stambler
Rabbi Mayer Stambler
mstambler@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +972-544-577422
Mobile: +48-693-108559
Office: +48-22-6375073
Slominskiego 19 lok 508
00-195 Warsaw Poland
