UkraineFriends.org was founded as an emergency response to Russia’s unjustified aggression against the sovereign nation of Ukraine. The Ukrainian civilian population is under direct attack, and activists with close ties to the region and its history are coming together to provide much needed humanitarian aid in the form of Essential Medical Emergency packs. They will be made available to both civilians and soldiers on the ground for immediate use. 

These activists are a group of Jewish Americans with deep roots in Eastern Europe, namely Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, and Belarus, where our ancestors lived and died fighting the kind of oppression Ukraine is facing today. Roman Vintfeld’s grandparents were born in Ukraine, having fled to escape the persecution of Soviet Jewry. His wife Danielle’s grandparents, the founders of The Bielski Partisans, are famed for having rescued over 1,200 Jewish men, women, and children from the shifting borders of the region during the Holocaust. With experience in fundraising for Jewish charities, they also stepped up in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, donating life-saving PPE to healthcare and senior living facilities, along with their partner, Michael Sinensky.

Sinensky’s wife, Irina, was herself born in Ukraine, having emigrated to the United States as a refugee in 1989. They are known locally for their efforts in disaster relief, having founded the Friends of Rockaway nonprofit to help with the cleanup and rebuilding of their community and beyond in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York. 

Also experienced in disaster relief is Sander Koyfman, another Soviet refugee who, for years, has lent his expertise to victims of crisis hot zones, including Afghan refugees, as well as victims of the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004. 

With such close family ties to the region, we all have friend and family connections to the territory currently under violent attack, including many currently under threat. They need our help now, and there is no more clear cause for action. Our partners, in concert with former members of the United States military, are on the ground ready to receive and transport life-saving supplies as quickly as they hit the ground in Poland in order to help alleviate undue suffering.

"Never Again" is now. 

At mere $180 per pack - up to 5 lives could be saved when used by experienced Ukrainian medical personnel. We are focused on funding initial purchases - partnering with teams on the ground poised to deliver supplies for immediate use to all who may need them - inside and outside the country.