Free Evan Gershkovich

Free Evan Gershkovich

By now, many of you have heard about the detainment of our friend, Evan Gershkovich. As Evan’s imprisonment in Russia has attracted international attention from governments and news organizations, a picture of who Evan is has emerged as well: a diligent student, talented athlete, gregarious friend, and dedicated journalist. Beyond the content of his character, Evan harbored a profound love for the Russian people and culture, ultimately drawing him to Moscow as a foreign correspondent six years ago. For the many of us who consider Evan a friend, the media coverage and the strength of his character provides hope that his wrongful detainment will be short-lived and that we will welcome him home again soon.

Evan is the American son of Soviet-born Jewish émigrés who ultimately settled and raised him in New Jersey. As is common with the children of immigrants, Evan would often ruminate on the sacrifices his parents made to provide him with the opportunities that eluded them. As Evan’s story unfolded last week, his parents both continued to work night shifts despite the unimaginable toll of balancing employment against their ongoing efforts to bring Evan home. We know no amount of financial support can dull their pain; we can only hope that it allows them to concentrate on the more important tasks at hand.

Everyone involved is preparing for a long battle to bring Evan home. Evan’s employer, the Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. Government deserve special recognition for the holistic support that they have, and continue to provide, to Evan, his family, and his cause. Despite the significant investment of time, resources, and labor, however, the long-term emotional and financial burden of this ordeal will be disproportionately borne by Evan’s family. To that end, Evan’s friends have organized this GoFundMe to provide financial support to Evan’s family as they endeavor to reunite their family.

All proceeds raised will be directed to Evan’s family to put towards efforts to bring Evan home, expenses, and to further dedicate to causes that are meaningful to Evan and his family. The causes will include those like Committee to Protect Journalists, which promotes the freedom of the press worldwide (and we encourage separate donations to CPJ here). More information about Evan can be found at freegershkovich.com (link here).

For those who are unable to contribute financially, Evan’s friends have organized many other equally important ways to support Evan:

Sending letters of support to Evan at FreeGershkovich@Gmail.com

Sharing stories of photos of Evan using this typeform

Amplifying reach by using the hashtags #IStandWithEvan and #FreeEvan

Following @FreeGershkovich on Twitter

Subscribing to our Substack Newsletter

Connect with Evan’s Family and Friends at FriendsOfEvanGershkovich@Gmail.com

For any press inquiries, please reach out to communications@dowjones.com

Thank you for your consideration.