By: Sue Surkes, “The Times of Israel”, translated from English by Anemone Rüger, Christians Standing with Israel
Lawyer Viktoria Smyrnowa from the Jewish community in Mariupol, Ukraine, feels like she's sitting on a time bomb. Fearing a Russian invasion, Jewish organizations are preparing for the worst. Christians for Israel (CSI) providing aid on the ground: Koen Carlier of Christians for Israel, CSI's international parent organization, and his team have been packing tens of thousands of food parcels for weeks.
Amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Viktoria Smyrnova says she knows what a war situation feels like. Now 37, she once ran a successful law firm in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, and owned three apartments. Her husband, Ivan, had a secure job as an engineer. All of that vanished when, in 2014, Russian-backed separatists declared independence from Ukraine and proclaimed the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as the Luhansk People's Republic to the north, both located in the Donbas region. "It was too dangerous to stay," she told the Israeli newspaper "Times of Israel" from her current home in Mariupol, just 20 kilometers from the unofficial border with Donetsk.
“Donetsk was shelled by heavy artillery at that time. Danger lurked everywhere, there were armed men everywhere, and the fighter jets flew directly over our apartment building,” said Smyrnova. “We had to leave immediately when the shelling started. We only packed a small bag, enough for two weeks, and set off in one of our two cars.”
After spending a month with an uncle in Crimea, which had already been annexed by Russia but was peaceful, the family moved on to Mariupol, where Ivan had received a job offer from his former employer. Viktoria had to give up her work as a lawyer. Many of her clients in Donetsk had gone bankrupt. Now the fluent English-speaking lawyer works in commerce.
After a week of highly tense diplomatic efforts to resolve one of the most explosive conflicts since the Cold War ended without result, Western states have reduced their diplomatic missions in Ukraine and are appealing to their citizens to leave the country immediately.
Warnings are coming from Washington that the Russian forces amassed along the Ukrainian border – an estimated 130,000 troops with corresponding missile and tank coverage – are capable of launching a major invasion "at any moment." According to US officials, such an attack would likely be preceded by a widespread missile strike
“There’s constant talk of a Russian invasion; it scares me,” said Smyrnova. “I haven’t even unpacked my little bag from 2014 yet. It contains all our papers and my jewelry. If something happens, I’ll grab the bag and flee – although I have no idea where to go. The border to Crimea is closed, and I can’t go back to Donetsk either.”
“Everyone is afraid; no one really knows what to do,” Smyrnowa added. “We often discuss what we should take with us in case of an invasion. No one knows what’s coming. We feel like we’re sitting on a ticking time bomb.” Smyrnowa is one of many refugees from the Donbas region who have joined the Jewish community in Mariupol, led by Rabbi Mendel Cohen, who is originally from Israel.
Cohen, 40, recently made Israeli news twice – once when he contracted COVID-19 and had to be airlifted to Israel in critical condition, and again when an axe-wielding attacker attempted to break into his synagogue but was overpowered by a security guard. Cohen and his wife Esti have lived in Mariupol since 2005 as representatives of the Chabad religious movement and have established several Jewish institutions there. The years 2014 and 2015 are also etched in his memory – street shootings and a Shabbat on which 120 rockets rained down on the city.
“We constantly hear gunfire or explosions from somewhere in the border region,” he explained. “We have community members whose homes (in the Donbass) have now been destroyed. People here are worried, but there is no panic. They want to continue with their normal daily routines.” He added, “We have a team of volunteers who have been working tirelessly since the outbreak of the pandemic. Even now, they have provided supplies of medicine, food, and emergency equipment.” “We are monitoring the situation closely and are in close contact with the Jewish Agency, the Israeli Embassy, and other Chabad communities,” Cohen said.
Israel is preparing to evacuate its citizens
Israel is preparing for the possibility that it may have to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine by land through neighboring countries. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated last Saturday evening that Israel must be more cautious in its statements than other countries because it has large Jewish communities in both Ukraine and Russia. "Part of our responsibility is to protect these people, and that requires us to be extremely careful in such a conflict," he emphasized. "But Israel's position, much like that of the West, is clear: We must do everything we can to avoid an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine."
According to Lapid, 6,050 Israelis have registered so far on the Israeli embassy's website to receive updates and alerts. The Israeli Foreign Ministry is in contact with local Jewish communities through their respective leaders.
Help from a Christian perspective
In Vinnytsia, a town far removed from central Ukraine, Koen Carlier is making preparations to help Ukrainian Jews in the event of war. "The golden rule is: Don't panic!" emphasized Carlier, who heads the Ukrainian branch of the Netherlands-based organization "Christians for Israel," which supports Jewish immigration to Israel. "For now, everyday life continues as usual. The war that broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014 caught us completely off guard. Many Jewish refugees sought refuge in various parts of the country, and we were unprepared.
Now we are prepared, and we can offer something to Jews who want to go to Israel if their plans are thwarted. We have prepared a number of accommodations where we could house up to 600, perhaps even 1,000 people for a few days."
With the help of many volunteers, Carlier's 10-person team packs 30,000 food parcels annually, which are distributed throughout the country to needy, mostly elderly, Jews. This year, he is planning for 40,000. Since December, the organization has doubled its allocations—partly to help recipients get through the harsh winter, and partly so they can build up a reserve in case of war.
Traffic in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has noticeably decreased, according to Carlier. Those who can are taking vacations or leaving the city with their families to seek safer shelter in case of a Russian invasion.
“We have been living with this war since 2014,” explained Carlier’s wife, Ira. “Every few days we hear about soldiers being killed; shootings here and there. People get used to a lot of things; they learn to cope with the situation somehow. But if there is another war now, it will be more ruthless than in 2014; there will be more bloodshed and greater destruction. In 2014, we weren't prepared. We were always told: Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are brother countries, practically one nation. We didn't have an army back then. We were overrun, just like that. Now we have stronger armed forces. We've been given defensive weapons. We are stronger than before, and there will be more resistance. It won't just be ground troops. Now large-scale air strikes are also conceivable. And people fear that it will now involve a larger area. The Black Sea region and Odessa are threatened. Russian troops are stationed in northern Belarus. The only possible direction for escape is westward, to Poland and Romania. Whether the refugees would be welcome there is also questionable.”
A prominent member of the Russian-speaking community in Israel, who wished to remain anonymous, said that his conversations with friends in Ukraine gave him the impression that the urgency portrayed in American and Western media did not correspond to the Ukrainian military's preparations. However, Ukrainian patriotism was palpable in many places. "I notice it in the reluctance to speak Russian. It has happened to me several times that I have addressed native Russian speakers in Ukraine in Russian, and they switched to Ukrainian.
This time, the Ukrainians are much less willing to compromise."
With kind permission of the Israeli daily newspaper "Times of Israel", in which this article first appeared.
Here's how you can help the Jews in Ukraine:
Please PRAY for our brave team on the ground – for protection, for wisdom to be in the right place at the right time and to do the right thing, for strength and for God's grace to stand by His people in this difficult time.
Please SUPPORT our crisis relief efforts for Ukrainian Jews with your donation:
- Food parcels costing €10 – keyword “Food Project Ukraine” – are packed on site and delivered to the Jewish communities.
- The support package for immigration to Israel for one person (assistance with paperwork, transportation to the consulate and the airport) costs €135. Keyword: Aliyah.
Here you have the opportunity to donate: https://csi-aktuell.de/spenden/
