Fellowship staff have been in Tel Aviv after a series of Iranian missile strikes, making improvements to bomb shelters and providing aid to first responders. While staying in the city, staff met Valeria, a 25-year-old olim from Russia who had just completed her IDF service during the war with Hamas. Her apartment had recently been destroyed by an Iranian missile.
Having moved to Israel three years ago, Valeria says that war is all she has known during her time in the country. However, she shared that her love for the people and the country constantly reminds her that she made the right decision.
After her family made aliyah from St. Petersburg a couple of years earlier, Valeria joined them in Israel in 2023 — just seven months before October 7. Her sister had already served in the IDF and often told Valeria about her experiences and about the people of Israel.
Valeria remembers feeling worried for her safety in Israel for the first time when the attacks of October 7 unfolded. She entered the army, serving at a base where other olim were stationed, allowing her to meet Jews like herself from all over the world.
“The sense of unity and the sense of purpose was way higher during that time. There was a lot of gratitude that I felt from the Israeli soldiers who were interacting with us,” said Valeria.
During the 12-Day War with Iran last summer, after her military service had ended, Valeria was living in her apartment in Tel Aviv. She slept with her door unlocked and her phone ready in case the alarms sounded and she needed to wake her neighbors and take them to the shelter. She refused to let anyone be left behind.
However, Valeria would soon have to leave her home entirely when the latest war with Iran began on February 28.
Valeria was out with friends when the Tel Aviv sirens sounded, and Iranian rockets approached the city. They quickly found shelter and began receiving messages and watching news reports. Valeria then watched live footage showing a missile strike. Her home and her neighborhood had been directly hit.
Valeria soon received confirmation from her roommates over the phone.
“They told me that the apartment is a total loss. It’s gone and there’s nothing left there,” she said. “There’s no option of coming back and staying there overnight. Everything was in the apartment. Everything that you bought during those years is completely gone. All of the furniture is gone, all the appliances I had are gone. Some of my clothes, some recordings, books — I was able to get that out. However, when you come back and look for little things that got lost or are in the rubble, it’s hard to locate a lot of stuff.”
Upon hearing her story, The Fellowship helped her with a gift card so she can buy food and clothes while she stays at a hotel for the time being, and for new furniture and appliances when she does find a new place to live.
“I want to say that I’m grateful for The Fellowship’s support. We really, really appreciate any sort of support that we get from people from the outside who are willing to listen to people who experience it from day to day,” Valeria said.
