Jewish homes in Ukraine damaged in Russian strikes, forcing elderly survivors to seek help

World Jewish Relief said over the weekend that dozens of Jewish residents in Ukraine were harmed by recent Russian attacks, which shattered windows, damaged roofs and left some homes unsafe to live in. The strikes were part of a stepped-up Russian air campaign that included some of the biggest bombardments of the war, with missiles and drones hitting cities including Kyiv and Sumy and causing widespread damage in residential neighborhoods. One of the largest attacks hit Kyiv especially hard and involved 90 missiles and 600 drones, including a hypersonic missile.

At a briefing, World Jewish Relief chief executive Paul Anticoni said the situation for Ukraine’s Jewish community was urgent. “The Jewish community of Ukraine is one of the most vulnerable Jewish communities in the world right now,” he said. He estimated that about 1,000 Jewish homes now need urgent repairs. The London-based charity has worked in Ukraine for more than 30 years and supports about 8,000 elderly Jews through local partners. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, it has provided emergency aid, welfare support, home care, medical help and house repairs.

The British Jewish News reported that among those now receiving help is Rita, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor whose Kyiv apartment was badly damaged in a Russian strike. Born into a Jewish family in Vinnytsia, she fled the Nazis as a child and lost her father during World War II. More than 80 years later, an explosion shattered her apartment windows. “We were all covered in glass, and the whole window frame fell on me,” she said. “I am truly amazed at how the shock wave shattered the glass into such tiny fragments. It is frightening.” She was moved out for safety, then returned after emergency repairs, but her daughter Natalia said the ordeal sharply worsened her dementia.

Another survivor getting aid is Ida Drovitko, 86, from Sumy. Born in May 1940, she survived the Nazi occupation after her Ukrainian mother hid her Jewish identity while her father served at the front. In April, her apartment was badly damaged, with broken windows and a partially destroyed roof, and the building was later deemed unsafe. She was allowed back only briefly to collect documents and a few personal items. “It was very painful for me,” she said. “I still cry almost every day because of what happened. The damaged balcony, the leaking roof and the cracks in my house are reminders of that terrible day. I hope to get support, because I do not know how I can recover from this alone.” Anticoni said the need far exceeds available resources, noting that while the charity has renovated 3,500 Jewish homes over the past 15 years, about 1,000 now need urgent repair.