When Shmuli Vladimirskiy of West Rogers Park, Chicago decided to study in Israel this year on the Aish Gesher program, he never could have imagined that his Russian-mother tongue would be needed for humanitarian aid during a war.
Shmuli’s father was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and his mother in Moscow. Although Shmuli was born and raised in Chicago, he grew up speaking Russian in a Jewish community comprised of former residents of the USSR.
Within the first two days of the invasion of Ukraine, Shmuli was so concerned for the safety of those living in Ukraine that he reached out to the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Rabbi Yakov Bleich, who had helped his father leave Ukraine many years ago. Once Rabbi Bleich explained both the urgent need for funds and the campaign he had set up, Shmuli then shared Rabbi Bleich’s main fundraising page to over 100,000 Jews across the world using a Jewish media platform where he is a part-time contributor. The post promoting Rabbi Bleich’s fundraiser brought in nearly 1,000 link clicks and raised tens-of-thousands.
While raising money for that campaign, he also learned that there was a separate and specific need to assist Jewish Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the frontlines. So he set up his own unique fundraising page for that campaign which to date has raised over $33,000 in donations as well.
Shmuli has gone even further. While becoming the resource to many for information on the situation and how one can help, Shmuli was also informed of a plane departing on Sunday (today) with humanitarian aid for a children’s field hospital near Kyiv that is currently serving over 500 children. The organizers stressed a need for diapers, baby food, wipes and more.
When fellow Aish Gesher student and friend Eitan Kastner from Long Island, New York, heard about the humanitarian plane and its needs he texted all of his friends and raised more than $2,000 almost entirely from seminary and yeshiva students studying in Israel for the year within a few hours.
The two students then went out late at night after Shabbat to buy over 1500 diapers, wipes, 4500 grams of baby food, protein bars, pasta, tuna, snacks and more. While in the store, other customers asked what the huge order was all about. When the students explained their mission, their fellow Superpharm shoppers started handing them additional cash, adding more than 1000 shekels to their purchases on the spot. The students taxied the supplies to another volunteer in Jerusalem at 2:30 am, so that the supplies would make it to a drop-off point today in time for the flight.
“Growing up with two doctors as parents, I was instilled early on with the value of looking to help others,” said Eitan, 19. “Being in my second year at Aish has only enhanced and refined that value. Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits, the Rosh Yeshiva of Aish and my personal role model, instructed the whole Yeshiva that as Jews we have a responsibility to the entire world. Immediately after hearing that speech, I redoubled my efforts to accomplish something big, and Hashem gave me an opportunity through my friendship with Shmuli! I truly believe these chances will come into existence for anyone looking to help, and that we all have a role to play.”
“This is a time when there is no big organization that can do everything. That means it is an opportunity for individuals to step up, take action, and truly save lives,” said 18-year-old Shmuli. “Part of the inspiration/motivation for doing this comes from the culture at Aish, where I study, where everyone is accepted from all different backgrounds and where there is an emphasis on caring about all different kinds of people. It doesn’t just mean our approach to Judaism, but concern for the world on a larger scale.”
“My community in Chicago was full of Russian-speaking Jewish immigrants. Russian was my mother tongue. Now, my Russian-speaking abilities are allowing me to uniquely help and to save lives.”
“One of the core principles that we try to teach our students is that every individual is given unique talents and life circumstances by God in order to help each of us fulfill our potential in the world,” adds Rabbi Rosman, Director of the Aish Yeshiva. “Shmuli realized that he could use his Russian background, connections, and media and computer talents to bring much needed and special assistance to the Jewish people.”
The students are still raising money, but are also involved in making sure that the funds raised are going directly to helping people escape and get to Israel. The next step is going to be meeting them once they get here, recruiting more students to help with the welcoming and absorption of those that arrive in Israel, and there will undoubtedly be more needs that come up. It won’t be a short term effort. Those who wish to help, click here.
