Park Slope Rabbi Helping Ukrainian Refugees In Poland On UJA Trip

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — On Monday, Rabbi Rachel Timoner livestreamed a message and meditation to her Park Slope congregation, as she's been doing nearly everyday for two years, but this week her video came from Lublin, Poland, not Brooklyn.

"We're going to spend the day at the border, so what I need today is just a chance to ground myself a little bit.... and remember what greater I am a part of," she said, alluding to the border of Poland and Ukraine where she and a group of rabbis are on a humanitarian mission. "May this be a good day," she added.

Timoner, the senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim (CBE), is among a delegation of 18 New York rabbis who went to Poland over the weekend to distribute food and medical supplies to Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn homeland.

The three-day mission, organized by the UJA-Federation of New York, is part of the non-profit's continued humanitarian efforts in the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine.

"Our delegation... left for Poland last night to gain a deeper understanding of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region. They'll be delivering medical and other critical supplies to refugee centers on behalf of our partners," UJA wrote on Sunday when the mission began.

Timoner has kept Park Slopers up-to-date with the journey on her congregation's Instagram, where she's been sharing stories of refugees who the group met with in Warsaw, Lublin, and Srodborow — transit hubs in Poland that are absorbing millions of Ukrainian refugees.

She's also shared pictures of donation centers where the group dropped dozens of duffle bags full of aid and supplies, some of which were donated by CBE.

The synagogue will reportedly be establishing a collection center in Park Slope and sending weekly donations to Ukraine soon.

During the group's last full day in Poland they went to Przemsyl, a border city where thousands of refugees are flooding through every hour, according to NPR.

Timoner brought medical supplies, some of which she said will be taken across the border into Ukrainian hospitals in the coming days, and shared that the group could see fighter aircrafts overhead in Ukraine.

At the aid center, however, she stopped taking pictures out of respect for the refugees.

"It feels intrusive to even look at the refugees who are here, never mind take their picture," she wrote. "I will share more in time," she wrote, signing off for the day.