World Jewish Relief, IsraAid, the JDC and the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Response (JCDR) have joined forces to create a united global Jewish response to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. This is the first time that the leading global Jewish international humanitarian agencies have created a collective response.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has urged the Jewish community to support the appeal, saying: “The inexcusable suffering of the Rohingya is a stain on the conscience of humanity and represents a failure to act upon our commitment to protect the most vulnerable people in our world. With so many people now living now in dire makeshift accommodation in Bangladesh, having fled violence and persecution in Myanmar, I urge every person who is able, to support the efforts of World Jewish Relief and others and to ease the suffering of the Rohingya.”
The rapid exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Bangladesh has resulted in a critical humanitarian crisis. Nearly 860,000 refugees are now living in official or makeshift refugee camps across Cox’s Bazaar in southern Bangladesh.
Paul Anticoni, Chief Executive of World Jewish Relief, said: “The refugees are facing desperate conditions and are entirely dependent on humanitarian support with many having fled their homes with no possessions, traumatised by targeted persecution and violence. Sanitation and healthcare is appalling and the threat of outbreaks of infectious disease looms. Despite recent political assurances that they can start returning home, this is not going to happen anytime soon, if at all.
“We have monitored the situation carefully, appalled at another incident of ethnic cleansing and mass refugee movement. This is the right time and the right place for a globally co-ordinated Jewish response.”
Together, we will provide essential non-food items to the most vulnerable refugee families, primarily women and girls, breastfeeding or pregnant mothers and child-led households. We will distribute emergency packages; containing hygiene and sanitary products, blankets, essential clothing and mosquito nets. We also aim to provide mobile primary healthcare to parts of the camps that are not currently being accessed by existing services. We will work where others are not and ensure all we deliver goes to those in greatest need.
We are seeking support from across the community for this intervention. You can donate here www.worldjewishrelief.org/rohingya.