In Our Hearts

The Fellowship  |  November 11, 2021

Isaak and Isabela, a married couple in their 70s, couldn’t contain their excitement as they packed their bags to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) with The Fellowship. After all, they waited an entire year for this due to the COVID-19 crisis — but, really, they’ve been waiting their entire lives. As a faithful Jewish couple, they’ve always prayed and wished to live in the Holy Land.

Originally, the couple, who lived in a modest home outside Minsk, the capital of Belarus, contacted The Fellowship about aliyah because they knew they didn’t have the finances to move to Israel on their own. They can barely afford the medicines they need, as both suffer from health issues. Then the coronavirus hit. Not only did they have to stall their aliyah plans, but they simultaneously stopped receiving any aid from the Belarusian government. “There was nothing left from the little money we had saved up,” says Isabela. “We were worried about how we would continue and what we would eat.” That’s when The Fellowship stepped in for a second time. While still in Belarus, the couple received assistance from The Fellowship, helping them survive this period. They could buy food and medicine and live their lives until aliyah was possible again.

And now, thanks to Fellowship friends around the world, they live on the holy ground of their ancestors. And during Hanukkah, a season of miracles, they will remember the miracle that you played a part in bringing them. Isabela says it best: “Thank you for not abandoning us. Thanks to you, we were able to survive. You will always be in our hearts.”