Project Spotlight: Aliyah

The Fellowship  |  May 8, 2024

Even in the middle of a war on Israel, The Fellowship continues to bring new olim (immigrants) home to Israel. This time from Ukraine! Even though these Ukrainian olim know Israel is at war, they still decided to take a leap of faith.

We Are Free

The war happened so suddenly in Ukraine, and people like Yuliia and Renat were caught in the middle of the war zone. The couple never thought war was possible in today’s modern world. So when the bombs started dropping on their neighborhoods, it was a shock to say the least.

Yuliia says: “We saw our daughter’s school explode. The water supply was damaged. The power plant operated intermittently. We hid in the subway. My husband and I could not sleep for days. We tried not to show our anxiety to the children, but we didn’t know what to do or where to run.”

When the couple turned to the Jewish community for support, they learned The Fellowship was helping Ukrainian refugees make aliyah (immigrate to Israel)—and they knew it was the answer to their prayers.

Today, they are in the Holy Land, and they feel they are home. Even with the war on Israel, Yuliia and Renat know the state of Israel and The Fellowship are here to protect them. “There are bomb shelters, there are Home Front Command guidelines during missile attacks, and there is an Iron Dome system,” says Yuliia. “Despite the war, we feel safe. The knowledge that there is a person to whom we can call for advice and help makes me sleep peacefully at night.”

They just celebrated their first Passover in Israel: “For us it is truly a holiday of freedom. We overcame all the hardships and adversity and finally feel at home. We are free. Everything good that happened to us over the past year happened thanks to The Fellowship.”