Viktoria and her children, Sonya and David, made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) from Ukraine in March 2022, just after the war began. Viktoria’s husband stayed behind to fight.
Viktoria remembers her family initially thinking the war would be over in a matter of weeks. But everything changed when a shell struck the building next to their home. The children struggled to sleep, and four-year-old David cried constantly. Soon after that, Viktoria reached out to Fellowship partners in Ukraine for assistance making aliyah as soon as possible. The three were evacuated to Romania, where they completed their paperwork. They arrived in Israel with just two suitcases and a folder of documents.
Viktoria said, “We chose to live in the city of Karmiel because we were offered an apartment there for a month, free of charge. That gave us time to get our IDs, open a bank account, enroll Sonya in eighth grade, and get David into kindergarten. We never imagined that Israel would take us in and literally save us from the war in Ukraine.”
The family gradually began rebuilding their lives. Viktoria learned Hebrew and found work, discovering that Israel was everything her grandmother had described to her growing up. This year, David is in third grade, and Sonya is preparing to join the IDF. However, their lives were upended once again last month.
At 3:30 a.m. on October 11, a sudden explosion rocked their neighborhood and sparked a massive fire. Viktoria awoke to the noise and looked out her window to see a towering column of flames rising above the building. She quickly pulled her children from their beds, and they fled their apartment, making their way down the stairs.
Apartments on one side of the building were engulfed in flames as windows shattered and melted from the intense heat. Clotheslines were incinerated in an instant. Residents screamed, prayed, and searched for their loved ones. Firefighters arrived to battle the blaze, which left behind a strong chemical smell that lingered for days.
Viktoria and her children were evacuated to a community center, where they received mattresses, food, and clothing. Both children later had to visit the emergency room after becoming ill from smoke inhalation. Viktoria eventually returned to find their apartment still standing, although covered in soot. Thankfully, no one was killed, but several apartments were gutted by the fire.
Viktoria says she has spent a significant amount of money cleaning up the damage. To help the family recover, The Fellowship provided purchase cards for food and other essential supplies.
She says, “We needed that money so badly. My heart was just overflowing with gratitude. It wasn’t just money for groceries. It was knowing that someone cared about what we were going through. That meant so much to me. Now our life is getting back to normal.”