As Covid-19 continues to take hold and cause even more loss of life and trauma, World Jewish Relief has re-opened its Covid-19 Global Emergency Appeal.

Since May 2020 we have worked in 12 countries including Mozambique, Bangladesh and Ukraine helping to fight the spread of Covid-19. Now, our attention turns to India where the pandemic is spiraling out of control and resources are scarce.

There have already been over 18 million cases of Covid-19 in India and each day over 400,000 new ones are reported. The death toll is rising at an alarming rate and we as a community must do all we can to help.

As the UK Jewish Community’s Humanitarian Agency, World Jewish Relief are working with international and local partners to provide essential medical and health services in India.

We have felt the impact on our Jewish community here in the UK and worldwide, but now we must do what we can to help those most in need.

In Jewish law, the value of pikuach nefesh, the preservation of human life, is the utmost priority. We are guided by our deeply held Jewish values, and by the World Health Organisation’s mantra that: “no one is safe until everyone is safe”.

World Jewish Relief Chief Executive Paul Anticoni says:

As we emerge from our own Covid-19 emergency in the UK, we’ve been horrified at the impact this devastating virus is having in India and the immense strain on its health service. We have therefore relaunched our Covid-19 Appeal, which has seen us respond to the crisis over the last year in 12 countries of the world, to ensure we can respond in India immediately in a practical way to assist those affected by the disease.

Our Covid-19 Global Emergency Appeal is supported by the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council, JW3, Liberal Judaism, London Jewish Forum, Masorti Judaism, Reform Judaism, Office of the Chief Rabbi, S&P Sephardi Community, Tzedek, United Synagogue and UJS.