March 17, 2022

A mother and her son in need of help. The extraordinary decision of the great-granddaughter of a Polish Resistance Movement fighter. Go behind the scenes of American Jewish Committee’s humanitarian mission to the Ukraine-Poland border crossings and refugee reception centers and discover what it’s really like to be a Ukrainian fleeing Russia’s invasion and find out how Poland and its citizens are giving a masterclass in welcoming refugees. Aldona Zawada of AJC’s Warsaw-based Shapiro Silverberg Central Europe Office shares the emotional story of how the AJC delegation helped a mother and son who were fleeing Ukraine, and how her great-grandfather’s experience in the Polish Resistance Movement in World War II informed her own family’s decision to open their home to refugees. 

Then, AJC Director of Social Media Julie Lenarz recounts what images have stayed with her from her time at the border, and how AJC is using social media to assist refugees and hold Russia accountable. 

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode Lineup:

  • (0:40) Aldona Zawada
  • (15:40) Manya Brachear Pashman and Julie Lenarz

Show Notes:

A demonstrator breaks the windows of the front door of the building in order to secure a chain around it to prevent authorities from entering as demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Colombia University, on April 30, 2024 in New York City.
The Chaos at Columbia: What It’s Like to be Jewish on Campus Right Now
silver seder plate with egg, parsley, shakbone, charoset
Her Mother-In-Law Was Murdered at Tree of Life: Now Marnie Fienberg is Countering Antisemitism One Seder at a Time
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari (C) and other members of the Israeli military stand next to an Iranian ballistic missile which fell in Israel on the weekend, during a media tour at the Julis military base near the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi on April 16, 2024. Iran carried out an unprecedented direct attack on Israel overnight April 13-14, using more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
What the Iranian Regime’s Massive Attack Means for Israel and the Region
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