United Jewish Communities/the Federations of North America opened an emergency mailbox today for Jews and the general population in the nation of Georgia and the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which have been engulfed in a military conflict since last week. (If paying by check, please note your donation is for the "UJC Georgia Relief Fund.")

As part of the relief effort, UJC convened federation executives today to brief them on the situation and the UJC/Federation response. UJC's principal overseas partner agencies, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), both of which maintain services in the region, have already begun assisting the local Jewish community, which is estimated at 7,000-12,000 people.

UJC's President and CEO, Howard Rieger, said the core overseas funding provided by the UJC/Federation system's Annual Campaign has enabled this "robust" local infrastructure to respond quickly to the crisis.

"Through the Annual Campaign, and our overseas partner agencies, our federation system has provided a vital infrastructure that has already responded, making hundreds of Jews safer," Rieger said.

War erupted last week in South Ossetia, a disputed territory between Russia and Georgia, and the conflict has continued and spread into Georgia, although by today hostilities subsided. An estimated tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes while fleeing the fighting. JDC has announced that among those refugees, they have some 750 clients, including the elderly and children. Overall death toll estimates vary between 150 and over 3,000. No Jews have been identified as victims to date.

JAFI, through its office in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, where most of the Jewish community lives, coordinated the evacuation Sunday of 200 Jews from the city of Gori, adjacent to the conflict zone, and is hastening the process of helping Georgian Jews immigrate to Israel. JAFI helped eight go to Israel on Sunday and another 30 due today, along with some 600 Israelis stranded during the strife.

Also in Tbilisi, JDC staff reached out to some 100 Jewish refugees who fled the fighting in Gori, providing food, water, medicine and hospitalization to several wounded, while funneling emergency supplies to those remaining in Gori and keeping in contact with them.

Despite the invaluable presence of UJC's partner agencies in the region, the military crisis erupted at a time when the purchasing power of the Annual Campaign core overseas funding has declined more than 25 percent, due in part to the falling value of the dollar and global inflation.

As a result of these economic forces and the conflict affecting so many people, "we are bringing the power of our federation system to bear on this situation, first by opening a mailbox and online effort to raise additional emergency aid, second by convening our system to learn how we are responding to the needs of the moment," Rieger added.

During a teleconference today with federation executives from more than 90 communities, officials of JAFI and JDC estimated some $2 million in potential emergency and longer-term needs.

JDC's Chief Operating Officer, Judy Amit, said JDC and JAFI are working together to mitigate aspects of the crisis. Amit adds that JDC, which has had a non-sectarian presence in Tblisi for years, is working with the local municipalities and other NGOs, and is operating in collaboration with UJC, and the governments of Israel, Georgia and Russia.

In addition to the emergency aid already provided, which is still much-needed, JDC is considering one-time financial assistance, and longer-term needs such as trauma counseling, including for children and the elderly, some of whom are Holocaust survivors. JDC estimates between $1 million and $1.5 million in current needs, she said.

JAFI's Director-General, Moshe Vigdor, added that JAFI also identified at least $700,000 in current needs, centered around helping bring local Jews to Israel.

Already JAFI and JDC "were there when they were needed – for people for whom nobody else would give assistance," Vigdor said.

Also joining today's call with federations to provide valuable briefings were call Alex Katz, director of JAFI's FSU and Georgia office; Ambassador Gary Koren, director of the Eurasia Department of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Israeli envoy to Latvia and Lithuania; Mark Levin, director of NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia; and Shauli Dritter, JDC's staff person in Georgia.

Misha Galperin, executive vice-president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, said the relief effort to-date underscores the impact of the UJC/Federation Annual Campaign.

"This is why the system exists, this is what the Annual Campaign does," Galperin said. "This is the ultimate argument for why the core dollars are so important."

Rieger added that the emergency effort launched today was "an opportunity to give a little extra help when we see people in need."

All funds raised through the emergency mailbox will support relief work from JAFI, JDC and other UJC partner agencies including World ORT.

World ORT is planning to provide post-trauma counseling training for psychologists who will work with children affected by the war. World ORT's representative to the CIS, David Benish, is working together with JAFI and JDC colleagues to provide immediate services for Jewish and non-Jewish children. (ORT proposal for Georgia youth relief, ORT proposal for training trauma counselors)