Project Spotlight: Bringing God’s People to Israel

The Fellowship  |  June 24, 2020

Even with both Israel and the entire world trying to recover from the terrible coronavirus pandemic, praise God that The Fellowship welcomes His people home on Fellowship Freedom Flights. Including Baruch, who made aliyah with his family recently along with 110 other olim (immigrants) from Ukraine.

“Our connection to Israel as a family, and my own personal connection, runs very deep.” This is Baruch who is a new olim from Odessa, Ukraine. He’s waited months to bring his family – his wife and their six children – home to Israel. Thankfully, we were able to finally bring them home!

Baruch’s love of Israel started when he was growing up in Ukraine, and attending the first Jewish school to open in Odessa in 1994. At 13 years old, he traveled to Israel with a few other students and spent his ninth grade going to school in Jerusalem. “That year in Israel contributed a lot to me. Since then, I’ve always been involved with the local Jewish community,” he says.

Prior to making aliyah (immigrating to Israel) with The Fellowship, Baruch was the manager of the local synagogue in Odessa. And also taught at the city’s Jewish school and university, both run by Fellowship-supported Tikva, a rescue and educational organization in Odessa.

A Father Shares His Love of Israel with his Children

Today, Baruch grows in his faith every day. He attends Israel’s Chief Rabbinate’s training and will become a rabbi, so he is required to live in Israel. But he’s always dreamed of living in Israel anyway. “The state of Israel is like home for both my wife and me. Our children also love Israel and want to live there,” he says. He and his wife have always dreamed of raising them in the Holy Land where they will receive a religious education.

Upon their arrival in Israel, the family will stay in quarantine for two weeks, and then relocate to their home. “When we began thinking about making aliyah to Israel,” says Baruch, “we contacted The Fellowship’s representative here in Odessa. We attended The Fellowship’s aliyah seminars and received lots of information and support from the representatives,” says Baruch. “We’d like to thank The Fellowship for all the help you have given us!” Thanks to our donors, this family had help making aliyah every step of the way!

With coronavirus numbers spiking, no one knows how long the borders will be open. But you can help us continue this holy work in bringing the Jewish people home. Will you join us?