By Zoë Ryder
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you’ve most likely heard about the war in Ukraine. Russia started aggressions against Ukraine in 2014, but Putin recently launched a full-scale invasion.
Russia has spewed lies about the attack, stating at first that their mission was to eradicate “Nazi sympathizers” in Ukraine (notwithstanding that Ukraine’s President is Jewish). Then, Russia changed course and claimed that its motivation for war was to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance between European and North American countries. If any country in this alliance is attacked, every member of NATO must come to its aid. Russian president Vladimir Putin views NATO as a threat to Russia, averring, “NATO has put its front-line forces on our border.” He claims he is resistant to the alliance’s eastward expansion as he fears it poses a major threat to Russia. When dissembling on the matter further, he said, “We have the right to ask: Against whom is this expansion intended?”
Putin threatened any country that involved themself in the conflict, stating, “Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history.” To avoid a world war, and worse, a nuclear war, Western countries have not sent troops to Ukraine but are sending weapons and aid to the Ukrainian military and the displaced refugees.
What is Rockland County doing to show its support for Ukraine? Many local groups have motivated community members to aid Ukraine in whatever ways they can.
The Holy Virgin Protection Russian Orthodox Church in Nyack, for example, has spoken in support of the victims of Russian aggression and is collecting cash from its congregation to support Ukrainian refugees and soldiers. The Orthodox Jewish community has been permitted to work on the Sabbath to aid Ukrainian refugees. In Clarkstown, many people have started organizing fundraisers and sending donations to Ukrainians in need. Nyack High School has also been collecting donations for this cause. Involving the student government and several of the schools’ clubs, Mr. Gavigan sought to spread awareness about the situation and encourage contributions from everyone at the high school. There were collection bins set up in the front hall, gathering hygiene products, clothes, food, and money.
The fundraiser at Nyack High School has concluded, but we strongly urge you to continue donating to local organizations, such as the Russian Orthodox church mentioned above. We should try to help in any way we can, whether that be organizing fundraisers, sending in donations, or simply spreading awareness.
Here are a couple of websites to donate to:
UKRAINE - RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH .
And a charity navigator: