22 | MARCH 24 • 2022
OUR COMMUNITY
S
HARE Detroit has launched a
donation portal dedicated to help-
ing people of Ukraine, SHARE
Ukraine, a one-stop-shop where those
who wish to support Ukrainian citizens
can find trusted ways to help.
Sam Rozenberg, the co-founder of the
Metro Detroit nonprofit platform, was
born in Ukraine. He says he’s made it his
mission to use his platform to help pro-
vide humanitarian assistance and a space
for those who want to help or donate.
“It’s difficult to find a good charity to
donate to, especially if you’re commit-
ted to make a difference, but you don’t
necessarily know how. Because of my
background and my passion for justice
and what’s happening in Ukraine today,
I do the homework and vet out charities,
appropriate NGOs (non-governmental
organization), to channel the money
into,” Rozenberg said. “One hundred
percent of all the contributions made will
go to an organization that directs your
money to help Ukraine bring light out of
the darkness.”
SHARE Ukraine hosts
a direct connection to the
Ukrainian American Crisis
Response Committee of
Michigan, where individu-
als and groups can donate
supplies and volunteer
to join the committee’s
efforts. In addition to the
site, he says he has become
a community activist,
which he never was before.
SOURCE OF
HIS PASSION
To better understand
where Rozenberg’s passion
comes from, he explained how he grew to
be part of both the Ukrainian and Jewish
communities. “I’m a child of both Jewish
parents, and my father passed away when
I was 4 years old. My mother remarried
a Ukrainian citizen, but he happened to
be from the former Soviet Union where
everyone was atheist, practically speak-
ing. So, there was no religious difference,
but he was the kind
of guy whose father
was an extreme
nationalist and
antisemite.”
Rozenberg says his
family was surround-
ed by Jewish people.
As a young boy, he
spent time in villages
and farms where
most of his friends
weren’t Jewish but
were Russian and
Ukrainian. When he
was 13, his family
made their way to
the states through Jewish immigration
during the peak of the Cold War. He then
got involved with the Ukrainian commu-
nity rather than the Jewish community
like most immigrants do. Rozenberg went
to a Ukrainian Catholic High School and
attended church in Michigan, where he
had his first religious experience.
“I went from being an atheist to being
a Catholic, even though I was 100%
Jewish,” Rozenberg said.
Growing up, he reverted back to his
Jewish roots. “I became very active in
the Jewish life, Jewish culture and Jewish
identity. I became a volunteer a board
member then went on to be the president
of Yad Ezra.”
Because of these experiences,
Rozenberg says he feels equally comfort-
able in both the Ukrainian and Jewish
communities. “I’m very passionate about
standing on the right side of history,
especially since this history is affecting
both cultures that are my culture.”
MOVING FORWARD
Rozenberg says he is trying to achieve
three things, which were inspired by
his high school principal, who he con-
sidered one of his earliest mentors. “He
SHARE Detroit launches a way to support people of Ukraine.
SHARE Ukraine
RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Sam Rozenberg