Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently announcement a donation to HIAS, the largest Jewish non-profit organization for refugee relief, one of many contributions they send to help suffering Ukrainians.
The British Royal Family’s undisclosed donation is the largest for HIAS, formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which has seen donations pour in since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
HIAS vice president of development Miriam Feffer said the influx of donations after the invasion — $20 million in less than a month — exceeded the year-end fundraising campaign of the HIAS. non-profit organization and typical quarterly totals.
Donors have included local Jewish federations and the Schusterman Foundation, which gave about $500,000, corporate donors such as Airbnb, and also, Feffer said, unexpected and smaller donors, such as “Dog Twitter” – literally dog-loving Twitter users.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s contribution came from their nonprofit, the Archewell Foundation, and is helpful in several ways, Feffer said.
“The impact of a donation from such influential supporters goes beyond the immediate financial benefit of their generous donation,” she said. “We are confident that their investment in our emergency response in Ukraine will inspire an entirely new audience to learn more about HIAS and follow their lead as supporters.”
Feffer said some of the donations will be used to support HIAS partners on the ground like Right to Protection, known as R2P, which has about 160 workers helping both internally displaced Ukrainians and refugees who crossed the border. This means funding immediate needs like food, shelter and blankets.
The rest will go to various other aid programs: legal aid for refugees, mental health support and partnering with Jewish communities in Poland, Slovakia and Moldova to help accommodate the influx of refugees.
On 3.5 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine since the start of the war.
According to Feffer, the influx of donations has only been compared to the aftermath of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Before this attack, which left 11 dead and 6 injured, the alleged shooter posted antisemitic comments on the HIAS on the Gab social network.
“People are deeply personally invested in this story,” Feffer said.
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