Jewish families in Ukraine are facing a deepening crisis with increased strikes and widespread infrastructure damage leading to power, heating, and water outages. Major cities such as Kyiv and Odesa are seeing nearly half of all homes without electricity, as emergency crews work to restore essential services.
Before making aliyah, Anastasiia and her husband agreed that they could not continue living under these conditions while raising their young children, Arina and Mykhailo, in Odesa. Thanks to The Fellowship, Anastasiia was able to make a generational dream a reality by bringing herself and her children to Israel. Her husband, meanwhile, remains in Ukraine, serving as a reservist in the Ukrainian army.
Aliyah has been a dream in Anastasiia’s family for years. Her grandparents planned to move to Israel after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, but those plans never materialized. Her parents also attempted to immigrate, but again, it did not happen. Anastasiia learned about The Fellowship through her synagogue, which then guided her smoothly through the consular process.
“Life in Odesa had become impossible,” Anastasiia says. Before they left, the city was bombed for eight consecutive days. Every morning when six-year-old Arina left for school, Anastasiia found herself praying that there would be no bombing — and if there was, that her daughter would have time to escape. At night, when Arina read bedtime stories to her three-year-old brother, she always ended them the same way: “And they lived happily ever after. They didn’t die, and we won’t die either.”
The family’s building in Odesa had an underground parking garage that offered protection from strikes. Still, power outages were constant, and without running water, families could not wash clothes or bathe. Meals were prepared on a small camping stove, and portable battery packs were rationed to keep phones charged.
“Honestly, from the moment The Fellowship took us under its wing, we gained confidence that everything would be okay,” Anastasiia said. “I can’t even imagine the enormous amount of work The Fellowship does — how many families you help and how much hope for a new life you give. I have the deepest respect for all the employees of The Fellowship and for all the donors. Thank you for everything.”
Once the war in Ukraine ends, Anastasiia’s husband plans to join the family in Israel.
“The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.” (Numbers 14:7-8).
