Ukraine ‘tense’ as Jewish mother and daughter die in explosion
British charities working in Ukraine this week said the situation in the country remained “tense” after a Jewish mother and daughter were killed in an explosion in the eastern city of Luhansk and an Israeli died on Flight MH-17.
Their warning comes as pressure mounts on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his support for pro-Russian rebels, who are widely assumed to have downed the Malaysian civilian aircraft with a surface-to-air missile.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the 298 passengers tragically killed in last week’s plane crash and the Jewish family and others killed in Luhansk,” said World Jewish Relief (WJR) Campaign Manager Richard Verber.
“As the situation remains tense, we are increasing our work across Ukraine, supporting those most in need.”
Separatists in east Ukraine were this week being accused of hampering crash site investigators, after the Malaysia Airlines flight came down over rebel-held territory.
Of those killed, 193 were Dutch nationals, alongside victims from Israel, Britain, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Germany, Belgium, Indonesia and the Philippines.
International outrage deepened on Monday when Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk described how the pro-Russian rebels had loaded 251 bodies onto a train, which they then prevented from leaving.
Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, blasted the probe into Thursday’s crash, describing it as “absolutely shambolic,” adding that the aftermath was being treated “more like a garden clean-up than a forensic investigation”.
Meanwhile, in Luhansk, Svetlana Sitnikov, 57, and her daughter Anna, 31, were caught up in fighting between government forces and rebels as they headed out to go shopping.
Zelig Brez, a local Jewish community leader, praised the women as being “among the most active members of the community”. Anna’s 4-year-old son, Vadim, was due to be with them, he said, but the boy had been taken by his grandfather at the last minute.
Other aid agencies, such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, said they had rehoused hundreds of families flee battle zones in the industrial east, where experts estimate that there are now 80,000 people displaced from the fighting.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
