From: Koen Carlier, Christians for Israel – Ukraine ( June 21, 2022), translated by Anemone Rüger
Today is our third and final trip to Moldova this week. On the first two trips, we mainly had refugees from Bakhmut, Severo-Donetsk, Kherson, and Chernihiv seeking our help.
Today, however, we had only passengers from the Vinnytsia County. This surprised us somewhat, as it's relatively quiet there. Therefore, we asked what had motivated these people to leave.
Jeanna's story
We had Jeanna, an 84-year-old Holocaust survivor, with us on board. She told me that her daughter had gone to Israel two years ago with our help. Now she lives with her family in Karmiel and is very happy with her new life.
“My daughter called me and said, ‘Mom, nobody knows how the situation will develop. I’ve been in Israel for two years, I’m doing well. We’re being taken care of, we have work, and we can contribute to the economy of this country. Mom, I want you to spend your last years of life with us here in the Promised Land!’”
Jeanna considered her daughter's request and decided that she was right.
On the drive to the border, we learn a little more about Jeanna's story. As a little girl, she had to flee Kerch, on the eastern tip of the Crimean Peninsula, to escape the Nazis. After the war, she ended up in an orphanage. She later met her husband in Vinnytsia, where they built their lives together. She had always wanted to go to Israel, but kept postponing it.
On the way in the car, Jeanna said she only regretted one thing: “Why didn’t I go to Israel sooner? Unfortunately, we can’t turn back time. Luckily, it’s not too late to make this journey, even now at my age.” With that, she closed her door, leaving the Ukrainian chapter of her life behind, and looked forward to her new life in Israel, knowing that a warm welcome awaited her in Karmiel.
Another family came from Bershad. There were four of them. I know the father, Alex, very well. Every time we come to Bershad with food parcels to visit the Jewish community, he's one of the first to greet us. I ask him, surprised, "Alex, I never would have thought you'd emigrate to Israel!"
“You’re absolutely right, Koen,” Alex says. “I never intended to leave. But we have relatives in Sumy (in northern Ukraine, 40 kilometers from the Russian border). A grenade hit their house. The house is destroyed, and my relative is paralyzed. That’s when we made our decision. Nobody knows how the war will continue. Will the fighting remain confined to the east? Or will it spread?”
Alex's question is something we're also concerned about, of course. "You only have to look at the map. The Ukrainian armed forces say they're fighting their way back to our country meter by meter. The Russian army claims the opposite. It's hard to say where the truth lies. In any case, there are constant fierce battles with many casualties, much suffering, and many airstrikes – including in residential areas. But I don't need to tell you that; we hear it every day in the news."
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4
What will happen next? Many don't know what to do. But we have promised to continue – to bring the Ukrainian Jews out of the war zone and to safety – to Israel!
Early next week, 150 Ukrainian Jews will use their one-way tickets to Israel via Poland, Moldova, and Romania. We are grateful to be able to help them. We also know that the Jewish passengers will cherish the words we speak to them.
“If you want to return to the Promised Land, contact us!” We tell them this again and again. And then there are the relatives in Israel who have already gone before them. Very often, they are the ones who help the Jews still remaining in Ukraine to make Aliyah before it’s too late – as is currently the case in Mariupol, Kherson, and many other cities that are now occupied and cut off.
Our first priority is and remains helping Jewish families—whether refugees or not—on their journey to Israel. At the same time, we continue to provide food packages to Jewish communities in Ukraine. At our suggestion, some communities are now organizing summer camps for Jewish children—both for their own congregations and for the often traumatized refugee children who have found temporary shelter with them. We're already receiving the first photos of happy children's faces from the summer camps. More on that in the next update.
English version: https://www.c4israel.org/sos-ukraine/jewish-refugees-from-ukraine-keep-asking-us-for-help-we-want-to-go-to-israel/
