The American Joint Distribution Committee has had to mobilize extra assistance in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in the wake of extreme winter weather.

An emergency winter response system was activated to provide additional care to tens of thousands of Jewish elderly, and young families.

In addition to heating fuel, blankets, warm clothes, jackets and boots, the organization has been called on to provide additional electric heaters, as well as food to the housebound.

Some of the hardest hit areas include the Balkans and Ukraine.

“We’ve been able to mobilize quickly and respond to this latest deep freeze because emergency protocols are inherent to our historic winter relief program. For these Jews, many of whom have no one else to turn to, we are there to ensure an extra lifeline and much-needed sense of community at this time,” said JDC CEO Steven Schwager.

Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

, editor-in-chief

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT