Since 2022, life in Ukraine has been different. Russia invaded the country in February of that year, leading to daily violence and peril for Ukrainians across the country. When the attacks began, a decades-long partnership between Baltimore and Odesa, Ukraine — sister cities — took on a whole new meaning and relevance. For The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, the relationship they have with JCCs in Odesa changed, too.
Eliot King, Baltimore-Odesa Partnership ambassador for The Associated, said that since 2022, The Associated has shifted from focusing largely on cultural exchange to directing aid to the port city on the Black Sea.
“Since the war, it’s been shifted to emergency funding. Obviously, we can’t travel there or anything like that. It’s very constrained. The Associated people who were sharing the numbers with me earlier today [said we have] sent more than $2 million in emergency aid. And the aid is spread across a wide variety of emergency needs,” King said.
One of the most important ways that The Associated is aiding Jews in Odesa is by donating funds for generators, as Odesa-based project coordinator Oksana Nelina said.
“With the support of The Associated, generators were provided to key Jewish community centers and partner organizations on the ground in Odesa. These generators directly support hundreds of community members every week — children, elderly people, families — by keeping Jewish community centers open, warm and safe during blackouts,” Nelina said.
These generators are essential because of the all-too-common Russian drone attacks, which often target a given community’s electrical grid.
“Everyday life in Ukraine means blackouts that last for days, cold apartments, no water at times and still going to work, caring for children, checking on neighbors and waking up each morning to continue,” Nelina said. “In Odesa, war is not only at the front. It’s on our streets. Drones hit residential areas, people get injured, homes are destroyed and the next day we clean the glass and keep living.”
Nelina said that life in Odesa, which became Baltimore’s second designated sister city in 1974, often resembles a science fiction movie these days. Days are planned around widespread power outages and air raid sirens that signal drone and rocket attacks.
The Associated helps combat this terrifying reality by providing funds that are allocated and raised from the community. Nelina said that her job has changed a lot since the war began, and it is not easy to collaborate with officials in the United States to distribute aid in Ukraine. The JCCs, however, are still committed to offering a semblance of normalcy through the chaos.
“Additional funding has been given to Jewish organizations to ensure they can safely and securely continue to provide programming to their constituents, so that they can provide much-needed respite during this time,” she said.
King said that there are often reminders of the horrors faced in Ukraine for members of The Associated. He was on a call with Nelina last week coordinating the distribution of more aid. The next day, she sent him a video of a drone attacking a power station on the same block. The constant communication isn’t just necessary for logistics, he said.
“We’re there, and it’s meaningful for them and for our contacts and other people in the community, just to be in touch with them, just to be in a relationship,” King said.
Nelina said that this is especially important when the reality of their situation is constantly shifting.
“Much of my work happens in uncertainty: adapting plans after attacks, finding solutions when systems fail and responding quickly when needs suddenly change,” she said. “What keeps this work going is knowing that behind every situation there are real people — elderly community members, families, children — who need safe, functioning spaces or just a quick note that they are not alone.”
That speaks to the fact that right now in Ukraine, JCCs play a different role than what most Americans may think of when they see a community center. Nelina said that the JCCs in Odesa are hubs for distribution of essential goods and supplies. They are meeting points for Jews who try to live through the war. They are lifelines.
“In Ukraine today, JCCs are not just places for socializing or casual activities — they are lifelines. They offer safe, heated spaces when people’s homes can be cold or dark because of blackouts and heating outages. The social life of Jews in Odesa is now mixed with real needs: warm shelter, hot meals, water and reliable power when the grid fails,” she said.
Ultimately, the symbol of Jews in Baltimore standing with Jews in Odesa is as important as anything. Nelina said that her community feels that support, and it means more than we know.
“For the Jewish community in Ukraine, receiving help from Jews in America and around the world means we are not alone — even when the war tries to isolate us,” she said. “It’s a reminder that Jewish solidarity is real, alive and stronger than borders or missiles.”
