Despite Conflict, Ukraine Aliyah Continues

The Fellowship  |  February 21, 2022

As tensions rise and Ukraine braces for possible conflict, The Fellowship was on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport in Israel on Sunday to welcome a scheduled aliyah flight from the troubled country. Working through staff on the ground, volunteers, and trusted partners, The Fellowship is ensuring that Ukraine’s approximately 200,000 Jews have everything they need during this time of peril. The Times of Israel reports:

Jana Kovlenko, who arrived from Kyiv with her husband, Evgeni, and their daughter, said that “right now it’s scary in Ukraine. Everyone is only talking about war. Until the last moment we were worried that the flight would be canceled due to the situation.”

Gidi Schmerling, of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which organized the flight, said the immigrants were tense in the hours before departure.

“When the plane took off,” Schmerling, who was on board, told Army Radio, “there was applause.”

We ask all Fellowship supporters and friends of Israel to continue to pray for the safety of the hundreds of thousands of Jewish people in the country who we support, for all the people in the region caught in harm’s way, and for protection for all our Fellowship staff and partners putting themselves at risk to ensure that our delivery of lifesaving aid continues.

The Fellowship has been providing food, medicine, heat, basic needs and aliyah to Jews in need in the former Soviet Union for over 30 years, and thanks to your committed support we’re prepared for any situation needy Jewish people in the region may face. Help support vulnerable Jews with your gift of love and comfort today.