On the same day as the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, Russia and Georgia engaged in open combat. The Olympics are meant to promote peace and are not meant to be held during a time of war. Having come from a war-torn nation-I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan-I have some understanding of the distress of war and painful decisions it is necessary to make when choosing to flee a besieged homeland. When the Soviet tanks rolled through the Caucasus Mountains during one of the many bitter fights in Azerbaijan, my family decided that enough was enough and that it was time to emigrate. I send my prayers to the victims of the horrors of what must be transpiring on the ground there and cannot help but wonder what I could do to aid the people affected in the region.

A country that you once thought belonged to you can be destroyed by an authoritarian whim. I am deeply hurt by the unjustified elevation of violence and war, by the catastrophic death toll and by the thousands of displaced refugees, many of whom are Jews. The event strikes a nerve in my heart and deserves our attention and aid.

The territories of South Ossetia and Tbilisi in Georgia have provoked conflict with territory-mad Russia for quite some time. Especially since Georgia entered discussions with NATO, Russia has been increasingly infuriated with its former satellite state as it eagerly looks westward and transforms into an independent society.

The seriousness of the latest crisis should make clear that if such actions aren't nipped in the bud, then there is potential for another sphere-of-power struggle reminiscent of the Cold War. Another example of Russian territory fervor is the nation's recent claim that it owns a portion of the North Pole.

This act-now-and-pay-later approach is neither democratic nor considerate to the rest of the world. Russia is showing that it has no concern for what the world thinks. Its actions in Georgia speak louder than any words about its pseudodemocracy. Though the parties did manage a preliminary cease-fire between Aug. 14 and 16-with outside intervention- thousands of Russian troops still remain on the territory.

They claim this is to maintain a peace-keeping role, but we've seen hundreds of casualties and mass devastation in the areas where the Russian troops have passed. As a result, many of the citizens in South Ossetia and Tbilisi have been displaced as refugees or are scared to move due to the pillaging and looting.

An emergency mailbox exists for the nation of Georgia/South Ossetia opened by the United Jewish Communities, an organization encompassing 155 Jewish federations that "reflects the values of social justice and human rights that define the Jewish people," according to its Web site.

With principal overseas partner agencies such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for Israel, the growing response and assistance of the local Jewish communities have succeeded in making many Jews safer.

Donations directly help hundreds of refugees by providing food, water, medicine and hospitalization to the wounded and funneling emergency supplies to those remaining in the area. These organizations are also attempting to contact and reconnect the displaced citizens, a luxury that means the world to separated families. UJC President and CEO Howard Rieger stated on his organization's Web site that the emergency effort launched was "an opportunity to give a little extra help when we see people in need."

Russia is playing a dangerous game that is harming others in order to benefit itself. As Brandeis teaches us to seek truth even unto its innermost parts and provide humanitarian assistance whenever we can, let us universally seek to aid the unfortunate in the Georgian crisis.

We can only hope that during the next Olympics, at least for those two weeks, the world can truly lay down its arms.