Saving Ukrainian Refugees

In late February, as refugees began to pour into Poland from Ukraine, the JCC of Krakow transformed itself from an organization cultivating Jewish life in Krakow, to a refugee service center that offered food, housing, mental health services, medicine, polish classes, and daycare to Ukrainian refugees. Join Jonathan Ornstein, Executive Director of the JCC of Krakow, for a discussion about the Ukrainian refugee crisis and our role in supporting those fleeing a war-torn Ukraine.

Preregistration and proof of vaccination required.

Jonathan Ornstein
Jonathan Ornstein, a New York City native, serves as Executive Director of the JCC of Krakow More > – an organization devoted to rebuilding Jewish life that has become one of Poland’s most visible signs of Jewish revival. Prior to his 14 years with the Centre, Jonathan lectured in Jewish studies at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University and founded the Gesher Association for Polish Israeli Dialogue. Prior to moving to Poland, he lived in Israel and served for two years in the Israeli Defense Forces. He currently serves on the boards of Krakow’s Child Survivors of the Holocaust organization and JCC Global. He’s received several awards, including the Cohon Award for services benefiting Jewish People and the Polish Foreign Ministry Bene Merito medal for his work promoting Poland. < Less

Ed Shapiro
Ed Shapiro is the Managing Trustee for The Shapiro Foundation in Boston, MA. More > For nearly 20 years, Ed was a Managing Partner at PAR Capital Management, a Boston-based investment management firm. At the end of 2016, Ed retired from PAR in order to devote his attention to his family’s philanthropic activities and work on global refugee causes. The Shapiro Foundation’s focus is global community-based “complementary pathways” refugee sponsorship programs, with a current prioritization on Ukraine. Ed just returned from his second trip to Krakow this year, where he led a delegation of 13 colleagues to see the incredible work being done by the Krakow JCC team to support Ukrainian refugees. < Less