ICEJ helping to bring endangered Jews to Israel
By: David Parsons, ICEJ VP & Senior Int. Spokesman

For over a week now, we have all watched the Ukrainian people bravely battling to stave off invading Russian forces. The intense fighting has already forced at least one million people to flee the country. Amid this raging conflict, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem is working with the Jewish Agency for Israel to help evacuate thousands of Ukrainian Jews and bring them safely to Israel. And thanks to the generosity of many caring Christians worldwide, we are making a real difference for scores of Jewish families seeking to escape the encircling threat of war and make it to safety in Israel.

So far, some 3,500 Ukrainian Jews have applied for urgent immigration to Israel since the war began, but the numbers are expected to quickly rise to over 10,000.

Some 540 of these applicants have already been evacuated, processed and approved for immigration to Israel. Buses packed with more Ukrainian Jews are making it across the border every day, where they are sent to temporary housing centers in neighboring Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova until they can be flown to Israel.

On Sunday, Israel will welcome the first flights of Ukrainian Jewish olim since the Russian invasion began, bringing an initial group of 300 Jewish war refugees to safety in Israel. They will be placed in absorption centers and hotels for several months as they adjust to their new life in the Jewish homeland.

The ICEJ is providing funds to help JAFI with the entire evacuation and Aliyah process, including the expenses of bus transport out of Ukraine, temporary shelter in neighboring countries, any necessary medical attention, the flights to Israel, and the urgent integration needs of the new immigrants.

The Jewish Agency has representatives on the ground arranging all of these steps under very difficult circumstances. Due to the raging conflict and its attendant risks, the costs of hiring buses has jumped significantly in the past week, and fuel is expensive and in short supply. The journey to the border also can take several days, with numerous checkpoints along the way, and the ever-present threat of Russian attacks. And once at the border crossings, there are agonizingly long waits due to the massive human logjams, with many having gone without food or water for days.

But JAFI has teams on both sides of the border, and the assistance of a network of Jewish and Christian volunteers inside Ukraine helping to evacuate the Jewish families, feed and care for them, and then send them on their way to Israel.

This is a desperate moment for everyone in Ukraine, but it is also an opportunity for Christians to arise and show mercy to Ukrainian Jewish communities who have suffered enough in exile and now want to reach the safety of the Land of Israel. Their lives and futures are in our hands, so please respond with your best gift today!