Renewing Hope in Odesa

For more than 30 years, The Associated’s Baltimore–Odesa Partnership has been at the heart of rebuilding and sustaining Jewish life in Odesa, Ukraine. Rooted in our shared commitment to strengthening Jewish life, the Baltimore–Odesa Partnership builds meaningful connections between our communities, supports those individuals and families facing challenges and enriches Jewish identity—ensuring that Odesa’s Jewish community remains strong today and for generations to come.

This foundation enables us to respond swiftly as needs continue to arise. Through these four years of destruction, displacement, forced blackouts and economic hardships, the Partnership has expanded its work to meet changing needs. Because of the Partnership, The Associated brings hope to our friends in Jewish Odesa, even during these times of uncertainty.

“We study even when it seems it is impossible. Due to the Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore, our school [The ORT Jabotinsky School in Odesa] has a shelter and we can continue offline education when there are alerts all day long. School gives me something normal to hold on to. When people in Baltimore support us, I feel like we’re not forgotten — like someone far away still believes in our future.”

Yana, 14 y.o., ORT school, Active Jewish Teen (AJT) participant

“I thought I would never see war again. Help from the Jewish community in Baltimore reminds me that Jews stand for one another — across generations and oceans.”

Malvina, 83 y.o., Holocaust survivor

“Sometimes I hear loud sounds and get scared, but at Migdal JCC we play and laugh anyway. When the Baltimore community helps us, it feels like we have big friends who protect us.”

Vanya, 11 y.o., Migdal JCC

Emergency Response

The Associated distributed over $2 million in emergency funding since the war began, thanks to the generosity of the Baltimore Jewish community. The Partnership acts quickly to provide food, medicine, generators, mental health and trauma relief, and essential support for vulnerable residents — ensuring that critical services and Jewish institutions can continue operating despite ongoing disruption. Read more about how The Associated has responded and continues to respond to needs on the ground in Odesa.

Jewish Connections

The Partnership inspires connections to Jewish life through cultural programs, holiday celebrations and educational opportunities that allow the Jewish community of Odesa to engage with one another, while learning about their Jewish heritage.

We implemented new initiatives that connect our communities even more. The Jewish Library of Baltimore now provides Odesa’s Jewish community with unlimited online access to English-language materials. The JCC of Greater Baltimore is partnering with the Migdal JCC in Odesa and the Latzenelson community center in Ashkelon to connect women through cooking and storytelling.

Caring

Over the past three decades of our Partnership with Odesa, we have built strong bonds with Jewish community members. Our work includes providing hunger relief and homecare for older adults and Holocaust survivors, as well as offering summer and winter camp experiences for children and teens, giving them space away from the realities of the war and supporting their emotional well‑being.

Voices from Odesa

Since 2016, Oksana Nelina has been The Associated’s Baltimore-Odesa Partnership Coordinator, working to build meaningful connections between our communities and assessing emerging needs. Her words of gratitude and connection, along with the additional quotes and videos on this page, illustrate why this work matters now more than ever.