Just last September, an international CSI team accompanied 26 Jewish teenagers from Ukraine to Warsaw Airport for a new life in Israel. How are these young people faring now in their heavily attacked new homeland? And what about the teenagers who were already packed and ready to arrive on the next flight?
A few weeks ago, after years of preparation, 26 Ukrainian-Jewish teenagers took the plunge into a new life in Israel – accompanied by a Ukrainian-German-Dutch CSI team. Through the Na'aleh and Selah youth programs, the Israeli immigration authority, the Jewish Agency, enables young people from the former Soviet Union to obtain their high school diploma or continue their vocational training in Israel. Exactly one month after their arrival, news of the devastating Hamas massacres spread around the world.
Safe
“All the young people who arrived from Ukraine on September 7th are safe” – this reassuring news reached us from the Jewish Agency. Tanja, our contact person in Belya Tserkov near Kyiv, also has good news. “Veronika, one of the Na'aleh girls from our Jewish community, has been assigned to a school in Kfar Silver, not far from Ashkelon. She is doing well. She and seven other young people from her class were evacuated to another school further inland. The program staff are taking excellent care of their charges.”
A second group was scheduled to go to Israel in October. What will happen to them now? Has the Aliyah come to a standstill for the time being after the horrific events of October 7th? Not at all.
Via Budapest to Israel
As I write these lines, a bus carrying 16 hopeful young people and some CSI staff from Ukraine is on its way to Budapest. After their flight had to be postponed several times due to the war in Israel, these courageous young people have now set off to begin a new life in the land of their ancestors.
Gleb, 16, comes from near Dnipropetrovsk in eastern Ukraine. He is the youngest of four siblings – and the first to go to Israel. He would normally be in 11th grade now, but two years of the pandemic and two years of war in Ukraine have severely limited his educational opportunities. "In Israel, I want to complete three more years of high school," says Gleb. "I definitely want to learn Hebrew well, then do my military service. I will take every opportunity to contribute to Israel."
Oleg, 19, comes from Kyiv. His parents had already made Aliyah, as immigration to Israel is called, but then returned with him to Ukraine. His brother lives in Haifa. Now Oleg has also decided to return to his homeland, learn Hebrew, and join the army. "I'm not afraid of the war," says Oleg. "I've thought it through carefully—I want to live in Israel. I want to stand by Israel during this difficult time and make it even stronger!"
Firmly resolved
Margarita, 18, comes from Kherson – the city on the Black Sea that has been under constant attack across the Dnieper River since the withdrawal of Russian troops over a year ago. “We survived the entire occupation there,” Margarita says. “But when they left the city, that’s when things really started. We were constantly bombed. Those were terrible days. There was no electricity, no water, nothing.” The family decided to flee – first to Odessa, then to Uzhhorod. There, Margarita decided to go to Israel. “My mother really encouraged me – to learn Hebrew well first and then study architecture,” Margarita says. “But that was at the beginning of the year. Now there’s a war in Israel. My mother is worried, of course, but she also knows that everything will be alright.” In Haifa, her grandmother lives with her great-grandmother. “My decision was firm all along,” Margarita says. “I have nothing to lose by going. But if I don’t go, I would lose so much.”
Eva also comes from eastern Ukraine. Her older brother has been in Israel for seven years. Eva wants to focus on language lessons first, then she wants to study design. "And of course I'm joining the army, absolutely! No, I'm not afraid. Not at all. Staying in Ukraine is much more dangerous, and above all, there's no future there. Yes, there's a war in Israel now too, but it's a different war. Israel is a strong country. There's nothing that can stop the spirit and determination of the Israelis!"
Please pray for these exceptional young people who, even in these difficult times, refuse to be deterred from fulfilling their and God's dreams for their lives. Can you help us invest in the future of these young people? Every donation helps!
