Christians standing with Israel are bringing Ukrainian Jews to the airports for their departure to Israel, even in these difficult times. Were these the last regular flights out of the country for the foreseeable future?
“We have to leave for the airport at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow, so breakfast will be at 3:30 a.m.,” Natalia calls out to her guests, who are retiring for an early night. Natalia manages the “Shelter” guesthouse run by the Ukrainian branch of Christians Standing with Israel. Since the start of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, more than 8,000 Ukrainian Jews have stayed here – either on their way to the Israeli embassy in Kyiv to apply for an entry visa, or already with their suitcases packed and on their way to the airport. In the midst of a dramatically tense situation, which could erupt at any moment due to the Russian troop buildup along the Ukrainian border in the north and east, Natalia and her team are doing what she has felt called to do for three decades: helping Ukrainian Jews return from the Diaspora to their historical homeland of Israel.
“I’ve never seen so many people at church before,” says Natalia. “It was absolutely packed. We prayed like crazy!” Many of her helpers come from her congregation, which gathers on the east bank of the Dnieper River in Kyiv and supports her work intensely through prayer. Ilia (4) and Kiril (5) excitedly run up and down the stairs in the shelter one last time , delighted to find a teddy bear on each step. Kiril has to quickly show “Aunt Natalia” his new gap in his teeth, then it’s really “off to bed.” He and his little brother will be sleeping three hours south by plane in Israel the following night.
“We’re leaving mainly for the children. We want them to have a future,” says Natasha, who, along with her husband Taras and their two sons, was picked up a few hours earlier in her hometown of Lviv by our driver Kolya. “We see no prospects here; there’s no stability to build anything.” They have spent five years preparing for their Aliyah, their immigration to Israel. Natasha already has quite a few relatives in Israel. Her father lives in Haifa, her brother in Kiryat Motzkin. She knows little about her Jewish heritage. “I never knew my grandparents. My father was only five when his father died. Grandpa was a shoemaker; that’s all I know about him. My grandmother also died young. I think she worked at the bazaar. I have no idea how they survived—maybe by fleeing.” Now she is a little nervous about the big journey. But she is confident: “It will definitely be better there in Israel.”
Julia, also from Lviv, has packed her bags. Her son—and now her daughter-in-law—are waiting for her in Ramat Gan. “He made Aliyah several years ago,” Julia says. “He went to Israel through the Jewish Agency’s MAZA program (a postgraduate course for young adults). That was my idea. He now works as an architect. Back then, I didn’t want to leave. But now I’m a widow. We haven’t been able to see each other for the past few years because of the pandemic, and now the tensions here in Ukraine are unbearable. I simply want to be with my family and be there for my grandchildren in the future. I’m looking forward to Israel!”
This is how CSI helps in Ukraine
For 20 years, CSI has been helping Ukrainian Jews take the significant step of emigration to Israel with a local team led by Belgian Koen Carlier. For most, this is a process that takes years. It often begins with a distribution of food parcels in a Jewish community, which always provides an opportunity for a brief address. Or it might begin with a visit from CSI staff to a needy grandmother, bringing a food package and a brochure about CSI's assistance programs. This brochure also addresses the biblical promises of the Jewish people's return, specifically from the "land of the north," to present-day Israel. And even if the initial reaction is rather dismissive, the brochure includes CSI's telephone numbers, just in case.
“God is calling His people home. And we, the non-Jews, are allowed to help.”
“Sometimes I get a call: ‘Do you remember visiting us years ago and talking about Aliyah? Now I’m ready,’” Koen recounts from his daily life in Ukraine. “For older people, of course, it’s much harder to start over. It only really works if their adult children go with them or are already waiting for them in Israel. Some leave for health reasons because they can no longer afford medical treatment here; you have to pay for everything privately. Some have cared for relatives and are now independent. At the moment, many younger families are also leaving because they don’t see a future for their children in Ukraine. Whatever the reason, we find the real reason for their emigration in the Bible: God is calling His people home. And we, the non-Jews, are allowed to help with that.”
Close cooperation with the Israeli immigration authority, the Jewish Agency
In close cooperation with the Jewish Agency, the Israeli immigration authority which has offices in all major cities, CSI regularly holds information fairs, sometimes with a whole range of Israeli representatives depending on the size of the event, where any question can be asked – whether it's about kindergarten places or potential job opportunities. Then come the concrete steps with the authorities. Anyone who can prove at least one Jewish grandparent is eligible to immigrate. This alone sometimes involves extensive research. Then comes the initial meeting with the Israeli consul, the application process, and trips to the embassy in Kyiv, which CSI offers free of charge. CSI also provides support with financing the necessary paperwork.
When the big day arrives and the plane tickets are booked by the Jewish Agency, CSI's drivers are ready to take the travelers from their doorstep to the airport, often with a stop at a guesthouse near Kyiv. CSI is also supported in these journeys by partner organizations such as "Esra" and "Ebenezer.".
After a hearty farewell dinner in the hospitable "shelter" and the drive to the airport, there is a farewell photo, then the "Olim", as the immigrants are called in Hebrew, are handed over to the care of the Jewish Agency, and Koen gets on the phone to coordinate the next trips.
“Sometimes it’s so stressful, like this morning,” Natalia shares her heart. “Everyone wants something from you at once. You don’t know if you’ll be home tonight, or if you should pack for just one night, or for longer. You can’t plan like you could in peacetime. That’s when I started to pray, and then I calmed down again. Sometimes I sit down for fifteen minutes, close my eyes, and talk to my Heavenly Father. Then I get new strength.”
Here's how you can help:
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:
You can donate here: https://csi-aktuell.de/spenden/
