The JDC-supported Hesed social welfare center in Kramatorsk was hit by two rockets earlier today. The rockets, which damaged the 9-story building where the center is located, did not explode as one hit the roof and another landed in the backyard. No injuries were immediately reported and the building has been evacuated. The attack was part of a barrage that landed near the city center, reportedly killing 5 and wounding 26.

“This latest development is another stark reminder of the harsh conditions on the ground that impact the lives of the most vulnerable in Ukraine everyday,” said JDC CEO Alan H. Gill.

The Kramatorsk Hesed, which serves over 560 elderly and poor Jews and employs 42 people, is part of a network of 32 JDC-supported social welfare centers serving 60,000 needy Jews in more than 1,000 locations across Ukraine. The organization has delivered food, medicine, homecare, stipends for new accommodation, post-trauma care, and vitally important winter fuel, bedding, and clothing as the conflict has worsened. JDC currently serves over 4,600 Jews in the eastern conflict zones and 2,400 internally displaced Jews who have fled to cities like Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Odessa.

JDC’s work in Ukraine is undertaken in cooperation with the local Jewish community and groups like Chabad. The organization is generously support by its Board, individual donors and foundations, and their partner organizations, including the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the Jewish Federations of North America, World Jewish Relief and the Claims Conference.