With a world weary of war, donations dry up for Ukrainian refugees at JCC Krakow
Jewish Community Center in city adjacent to Auschwitz raised $12m for Ukrainian refugees since 2022. But as money runs out, the new residents may lose yet another port in their storm
Reporter at The Times of Israel
KRAKOW, Poland — Beginning with decisions made on the day after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, JCC Krakow transformed into Poland’s largest Jewish organization.
“We made three decisions that day and they still guide us,” said Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of JCC Krakow. In addition to placing a welcome banner in Ukrainian outside, the center decided to help all Ukrainian refugees without regard to religious background.
“And we decided that as an institution, we were going to do all we could to help Ukraine,” Ornstein told The Times of Israel.
Situated in Kazimierz — the city’s old Jewish district — JCC Krakow has expanded its staff from 35 to 75 full-time employees in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion. Much of the growth came from hiring refugees to manage relief efforts, said Ornstein.
Largely through international donations, $12 million in refugee aid has been distributed by JCC Krakow, said Ornstein. The figure is four times the center’s annual budget, he added.
“The world started to see what we were doing and people sent money,” said Ornstein.
With its dramatic staff growth, JCC Krakow is now Poland’s largest Jewish organization. However, Ukraine-related donations made to the center are drying up, said Ornstein. As relief efforts wane, it’s unclear if the center will remain Poland’s largest Jewish organization indefinitely since without these monies from abroad, the staff size will be reduced, meaning fewer in need will be served.
At the height of Krakow’s refugee influx, 40,000 Ukrainians arrived in the main train station on a daily basis. To help refugees, JCC Krakow declared itself a “safe space” for women and children during the day.
“We have been operating a food pantry for two and a half years now,” said Ornstein. “We’re still doing it and many others have stopped. We started this sprint and we never stopped,” he said.
Since the war started, JCC Krakow has directly helped 350,000 refugees, said Ornstein. Fewer than two-percent of Ukraine’s refugees are Jewish.
Krakow is an hour’s drive from the former German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Holocaust site of mass murder. Before World War II, Krakow was home to 70,000 Jews. Most of them were murdered at Auschwitz or other German-built death camps.
‘The Jews want to stay’
Krakow’s revived Jewish community is diverse and has seen periodic conflicts break out.
In a memorable encounter five years ago, Ornstein and several protesters scaled a fence surrounding the city’s historic Izaak Synagogue. They did so in protest of the city’s official Jewish community leaders, who were accused of hiring thugs to block access to the synagogue.
Nothing so dramatic has taken place since the synagogue flare-up. However, Ornstein has received criticism for JCC Krakow’s commitment to help Ukrainian refugees, he said. When asked if some critics view Ukrainian refugees as the descendants of Holocaust perpetrators and collaborators, Ornstein responded affirmatively.
“But this is not the commandant of Stutthof we are helping,” said Ornstein. “These are mothers with strollers outside,” he said.
JCC Krakow’s membership includes 58 Holocaust survivors. Soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all of them donated their membership dues to help Ukrainian refugees, said Ornstein.
“The lesson of the Holocaust for us is that because we have an understanding of being forsaken, we have a responsibility ourselves not to be indifferent,” said Ornstein. “This community was almost completely decimated 80 years ago because of indifference and silence,” he said
Particularly during the war’s first year, JCC Krakow drew international attention for aiding Ukrainian refugees. US Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visited the center to observe relief efforts in 2023, while Ukrainian officials expressed gratitude.
“The model the JCC has employed — namely, of hiring refugees for their humanitarian aid work — is a priceless gift,” said Wiaczlaw Wojnarowskyj, Ukraine’s consul-general in Krakow.
Regarding the refugees served since 2022, Ornstein said there is one notable difference between Jews and non-Jews.
“The non-Jews want to go back to Ukraine,” said Ornstein. “But the Jews want to stay.”
