MARCH 31 • 2022 | 23

knew somebody in Detroit,” 
Gaydayenko says.
Now, JFS and other human 
services agencies are hope-
ful that the U.S. will reopen 
and expand the Lautenberg 
Amendment, first enacted 
in 1990 to facilitate resettle-
ment of Jews from the former 
Soviet Union, to include 
the humanitarian crisis in 
Ukraine. The amendment 
allows certain individuals 
legally residing in the United 
States to bring their family 
members to the U.S.
“We know many more fam-
ilies are coming,” Gaydayenko 
says.

FINDING WAYS TO HELP
As they field calls and 
requests for assistance, and 
as Ukrainian families wait 
for visas to enter the United 
States, JFS is focusing on 
helping survivors navigate 
the crisis. “Each survivor 

that works with our agency 
has a care manager and a 
social worker,” Gaydayenko 
explains. Social workers help 
teach survivors how to vali-
date their feelings and nor-
malize their responses, while 
also supporting them and 
reassuring them.
“They are safe right now,” 
Gaydayenko says of the key 
message social workers share 
with survivors. “It’s not like 
what was happening in World 
War II. They are supported. 
They have food, shelter; they 
have all of their basic needs 
met. We’re helping people 

acknowledge that this situa-
tion is different.”
JFS also helps survivors nav-
igate feelings of helplessness 
by identifying smart ways they 
can actively help and make 
a difference for Ukrainians 
impacted by the war. Some 
people opt to make donations, 
while others say a prayer for 
comfort. Some survivors even 
choose to advocate for the 
reopening of the Lautenberg 
Amendment. 
“That gives them things to 
do to feel that they are in con-
trol,” Gaydayenko says.
JFS, which works with 500 

survivors a year on a local 
level and also serves survivors 
on a regional scale outside 
of the Metro Detroit area, 
recently partnered with Jewish 
Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit for the Ukraine 
Emergency Fund (https://
jewishdetroit.org/ukraine). 
The fund is sending 100% of 
donations to rescue and relief 
efforts for victims of the crisis 
in Ukraine.
Those who have family 
members in Ukraine receiv-
ing visas to enter the United 
States are encouraged to call 
JFS for support. “We’re here 
to help, and all people need to 
do is call our resource center,” 
Gaydayenko says. “We have 
a Russian-speaking resource 
specialist on staff who answers 
all inquiries in Russian and 
Ukrainian.” 

Get in touch with JFS at www. 

jfsdetroit.org/contact-us.

Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation.

Need to find 
help during a 
family crisis?

Call jhelp at 
1-833-445-4357 
or visit: jhelp.org

Your one-stop for support 
from Jewish Detroit.

“THEY’RE FEELING LIKE THEY’RE 
BACK IN THIS TIME AND IT’S 

HAPPENING TO THEM [AGAIN].”

— YULIYA GAYDAYENKO

