Zinaida and Grigori are considerably younger, but their health is so poor that we have been supporting them for years in Baya Tserkov, Ukraine, through our sponsorship program. When the first rockets whistled over their house, they made their decision. But it was an incredibly difficult one – they had to leave their only son and his family behind, as he is of military age.
It's Shabbat afternoon, and it's hot, hot, hot. Grigori is waiting for us by the roadside. The two of them have found a tiny apartment in Afula, near Nazareth, which they can just barely afford with the social assistance they now receive.
“My first impressions? It was a shock,” Grigory explains. “Here, they really do everything for the people. People trust each other. The wholesale food supplier can unload fresh vegetables in front of the shop in the morning, and the owner doesn't arrive until half an hour later, and everything is still there! And the way the city employees take care of us – we're not used to anything like that in Ukraine!”
The warm welcome helps them settle in. Ironically, they, the senior members of the family, are the first to arrive in the country. Their children and grandchildren miss them terribly; they talk on the phone every evening.
Sinaida, in particular, is having great difficulty with the hot climate. Grigori, a stroke patient, found it overwhelming to sit for several hours at a time in Ulpan, the intensive Hebrew course. Now, on the advice of their caseworker at the city hall, they are giving themselves more time and will try again in the fall. Despite all the challenges, the two are determined to make the most of their new life here. The fact that they are not alone means the world to them.
"I can't put into words what I feel!"
“When you sent me a message saying you might come by, I initially thought it was a mistake, maybe a technical error,” says Sinaida. “We’re all alone here, fighting our way through life step by step. ‘Grigory,’ I said, ‘Anemone texted us.’ We talked about you all evening. That someone from another country would think to ask how we are! My heart is so full of emotion. I can’t put into words what I feel!”
Since the war in Ukraine has forced many of the needy people from our sponsorship program out of the country, our CSI staff have been increasingly visiting survivors who made Aliyah under these dramatic circumstances and found a new home in Israel.
The Jews whom we were able to evacuate from Ukraine in recent months thanks to your support now face the monumental task of integrating into a completely different society with a different climate and an unfamiliar language. The horrors of war are still deeply ingrained in many. Each has had to leave behind loved ones and almost all their possessions. With your help, and in accordance with God's promise to His people, we, as Christians, wish to continue being friends and supporters of these people, standing alongside Israel.
We sincerely thank you for every prayer and every donation with which you support our SOS Ukraine relief campaign !
