By Laurina Driesse

The sun shone a little brighter for Ukrainians and other Jewish immigrants on a day just after the Succot holiday ended in mid-October, though some struggled with their emotions and teared up as complete strangers show them love and practical support.

ICEJ-Netherlands National Directors Jacob and Hennie Keegstra accompanied Nicole Yoder, Vice President for AID and Aliyah, and her assistant, Jannie Tolhoek, to the Israeli town of Yokneam, located south of Haifa. Their vehicles were laden with care packages and gift vouchers lovingly prepared for 40 new immigrant families.

Jacob and Hennie also handed out special cards to bless the people which contained blessings written by Dutch Christians back home. This personal touch really brought tears in quite a few eyes.

The Deputy Mayor of Yokneam, Roman Peres, warmly greeted the ICEJ team and shared how his city has received 250 new immigrant families since the war began in Ukraine last February. Though the city has always received immigrants, it is a new scenario for them to receive refugee immigrants who had to flee without any preparation time, leaving everything behind. The elderly and the young arrived with mothers who had to leave husbands and other loved ones behind.

Deputy Mayor Peres recalls how in the early days of the war, his office began receiving requests for assistance for fleeing immigrants on their way to Israel. First came a request for a single mother with a child who fled with just two bags and her child to Budapest. She bought a ticket for Israel but was held up due to regulations for a PCR test which she could not get in time. Peres was able to speak with the relevant authorities and within minutes they had her on the flight. Then another lady called crying due to troubles getting on a flight because she did not have the proper veterinarian approval to bring her cat. In those first confusing and crazy days, a lot of obstacles needed to be conquered to make it possible for the people to come with the little they had, as swiftly and as smoothly as possible.

The challenges continue today but in a different form. Jobs and suitable housing are needed, along with basic items to start a new home. There is much trauma to overcome as well.  Many families require psychological care, especially for the children and those with special needs. Some of the children received news soon after landing in Israel that their previous school had been destroyed and friends lives lost.

When new immigrants arrive in Israel, many are initially accommodated in hotels. The city of Yokneam dedicated a team to go to the hotels and invite the immigrants to their city, and then have been working hard to make them feel welcome and help them settle in properly.

As the ICEJ team began distributing the care packages to the new immigrants, they were moved to discover that among the elderly were several Holocaust survivors who had also fled Ukraine during the Second World War.

Georgi, 89 years old, is a Holocaust survivor who was born in Ukraine. When the Nazis arrived, he fled with his mother and brothers to the East, leaving behind his father – who was in the army. Their hometown was destroyed during the war. After the war, they returned to their city where they rebuilt their lives, and Georgi had a 40-year career as a prominent doctor and lecturer in Ukraine.

Sadly, history seemed to repeat itself for Georgi in his old age as he was forced to flee again – first to Kyiv and then on to Israel. However, this time he is fleeing on his own since his wife has already passed away.

Deputy Mayor Peres first saw Georgi at a hotel in Tel Aviv and described him as a man in a suit with one small bag and an inexpressible look of sorrow on his face. The city of Yokneam offered to care for Georgi by arranging an apartment for him and helping him settle in even prior to the completion of his paperwork for Israeli citizenship.

Georgi expressed his heartfelt thanks for the support of all those in the Netherlands and around the world. He was so grateful for the care package that he gave several hugs to Nicole Yoder to fill in where words were not enough.

Meanwhile, Olga is a returning Israeli citizen who brought her elderly Holocaust-surviving parents to safety. Her father, who is 90 years old, and her mother of 86 years old have a similar story to Georgi. “From the beginning Israel was there to help with everything. Also at the border, with medical teams. They have been very helpful here. It’s good to be here”, shared Olga.

Anna was keen to share her story too. She is a young mother of two children and shared how she was eight months pregnant when the war broke out in Ukraine. The family decided immediately to flee, escaping via Poland.

She arrived in Israel in March, without her husband by her side. Her next hurdle to overcome was to receive her Israeli citizenship immediately, so that she could obtain the necessary health insurance for her to give birth in an Israeli hospital. Anna explains how amazed she was at how swiftly she received her ID card, despite the high demand for ID cards at the time. The people in Israel realised her crisis and did all they could to help her give birth as an Israeli citizen. Her beautiful baby boy was born in April. Today her little boy is six months old, and her daughter of six years has settled nicely and is happy in her kindergarten. She loves her teacher!

Anna’s mother is also now in Israel and her husband was able to join them a month ago. Her father is still serving in the military on the frontlines in Ukraine. Their hearts remain with him there, in faith and hope for the day when they will be reunited.

Meira, who arrived from the Ukraine only 20 days ago, shared her traumatic experience and story of escape, as tears flowed down her cheeks. She remained for some time initially in Kharkiv, but with the attacks and explosions very close and with only a table to hide under, she realized that she was going to have to flee to another city. A drive that usually takes six hours, took three days. Although they were received with love and warmth, she knew that Israel would be her final destination.

“One day I realised that Israel waits for me”, recalled Meira. “I felt that I had wings and I had to be in Israel. I turned to the Jewish Agency and found my way to Poland where I finally got a flight to Israel. I want to remain here for the rest of my days.”

As Nicole shared about Christians from around the world who love Israel and want to show their care and support for the Jewish people in practical ways, Meira began weeping and sending Nicole little heart signals from across the room.

“I shared with the people who we are, why we came, and how sorry we are for the things that they have suffered in recent months”, Nicole explained afterwards. “In addition to the support that we have been able to give for flights, evacuation, and hotels for them to come to Israel, we want them to know that we are thinking of them and want to help ease their way as they settle in the land with this gift. We welcomed them and blessed them that they would find a good life here in the land.”

“Most of the people we spoke to shared that they hadn’t planned on making Aliyah”, Nicole added. “Yet, some had dreamed of it at an earlier stage in life or had considered their options, but that they hadn’t really thought of it seriously until this sudden turn of events.” 

“The gifts were very welcome, but they really wanted to tell their story.  It has been such an emotional rollercoaster for them. We heard a lot of “spasiba” (‘thank you’ in Russian). They were thankful and they felt seen. The fact that we had hand-written cards out of the Netherlands and cards colored by children gave an extra dimension,” added Hennie.

“You wake up one morning to war and a geopolitical situation that you didn’t anticipate and here we are – a global village. Suddenly priorities changed. Everything changes overnight”, noted Deputy Mayor Peres. “Without partners we would not have managed. Thanks to the ICEJ for being one of those partners.”

Please continue to support the ICEJ’s Aliyah and Integration projects, which are making a difference in the lives of many new Jewish immigrants to Israel.