the seen
MacKenzie Scott, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have All
Donated to Support HIAS’ Work in Ukraine
Scott : (Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Gett y Images via JTA; Veretska: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90 via JTA
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $10 million to the
Jewish humanitarian group HIAS for its work aiding refugees fl eeing the
war in Ukraine.

HIAS announced the gift last week as Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO
Jeff Bezos, revealed her latest multibillion-dollar round of charitable giving.

She gave $3.8 billion to 465 organizations in this round, bringing her total
philanthropic funding to $12 billion.

The HIAS grant will go toward humanitarian relief for refugees from
Ukraine and help with resettlement in the countries of the European Union.

Services provided to refugees by HIAS’s local partners include housing,
education, health, language training and mental health with an emphasis on
reducing gender-based risks for those who have been displaced by the war.

Some of the money will also help Jews from countries bordering Ukraine
relocate to Western Europe, according to HIAS.

The news of Scott’s donation comes a few days after Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle announced they have given an undisclosed sum to HIAS
to help Ukrainian refugees. Far more money has fl owed to HIAS in recent
weeks than what the nonprofi t sees over the course of a typical quarter, the
Forward reported.

HIAS, formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, traces its origin to the
late 19th century when millions of Jews migrating out of Eastern Europe
required aid. In recent years, with few Jews impacted by the world’s new
refugee crises, HIAS transformed into a humanitarian advocacy group for
all displaced people.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, for example, HIAS built up a presence in
Ukraine and established a local partner called Right to Protection, or R2P.

Now, HIAS says that its experience and infrastructure are proving to be critical.

“HIAS has been working in independent Ukraine for over 20 years, work-
ing with Ukrainians and launching a Ukrainian-led organization (Right to
Protection – R2P) to protect and welcome asylum seekers from other coun-
tries as well as displaced Ukrainians themselves,” HIAS president and CEO
Mark Hetfi eld said in the statement that announced Scott’s gift. “Today, we
MacKenzie Scott in Berlin, Germany, on April 24, 2018
are working with partners — many of whom are displaced persons them-
selves — to help refugees and the displaced be safe, welcome, and able to
lead their lives until they can fi nally return home.”
Scott, who is now married to Seattle science teacher Dan Jewett and
whose net worth is estimated at $55 billion, has contributed to HIAS in the
past. Last year, she gave HIAS an undisclosed sum along with gifts to two
other Jewish nonprofi ts as a part of a $2.7 billion funding round for 286
organizations. — Asaf Shalev
Ukrainian Refugee Wins
Women’s Race at
Jerusalem Marathon
Ukrainian marathoner Valentyna Veretska speaks to the media in Jerusalem on March 25.

4 MARCH 31, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Valentyna Veretska, a Ukrainian athlete who fl ed with her
daughter as Russia attacked her country, won the women’s
race in the Jerusalem marathon on March 25.

Veretska completed the grueling marathon in the hilly city in
2:45:54 seconds, draping herself in the Ukraine and Israel fl ags
after crossing the fi nish line.

The 31-year-old had applied to run the marathon before the
war; she had previously won the women’s marathon in Tirana,
Albania, in October.

The war Russia launched on Feb. 24 sent her and her daugh-
ter into Poland, while her husband has stayed in Ukraine to
fi ght.

Israel has taken in close to 17,000 Ukrainian refugees since
the confl ict began, and Israel’s sports ministry said on March
24 that it is ready to take in 100 athletes.

Israeli Olympian Ageze Guadie won the men’s race at 2:37:17.

— Ron Kampeas