Not next year, but this year in Jerusalem!

The return of Jewish refugees or repatriants also continued during Passover. On the day before Seder night, during which the Jewish people worldwide commemorate the exodus from Egypt, we again helped a large group of Jewish refugees. This group came from eastern Ukraine and stayed in our shelter in the west of the country and then we brought them to Kishenov in Moldova, from where they flew to Israel. 

Youngest refugee

Last week we also brought a large group of Jewish refugees to Moldova. Some of them came from the city of Mariupol, which is in the east of Ukraine. Among them was also the youngest refugee, a little boy less than a month old. Little Yan was born on April 1, 2022. His parents decided to leave for good, along with Yan and their two-year-old daughter. We brought them from the east to our shelter in western Ukraine. They were flown to Israel on an evacuation flight on April 21.

The young family with daughter and newborn baby Yan (in the portable baby bed) on their way to Israel. Photo: C4I

Steadily increasing

In the last weeks we saw that violence in the east has erupted again. Not only Mariupol is practically conquered, but we see other places in the east like Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Bakhmut, Severodonetsk…. These are places where we used to deliver many food parcels until the beginning of February. Now that heavy fighting has started in these cities, we notice that more and more Jews there want to leave for safe areas. They are attempting to flee via neighboring countries and want to go to Israel.

There are a lot of trips planned for the coming time. A large group will come from Kiev, but of course most will come from the east of the country. Our big bus and all our smaller vans will be used to pick up as many Jewish refugees as possible.

(Click on the right of the photo to see the next)

It is still uncertain how the situation will develop and what the future will look like. In fact, there are also speculations about the capture of Odessa and even an invasion of Moldova. We also face the uncertainty of the future and the course of the war. What is certain is that the return to Israel continues without interruption as long as it is possible. As a team of Christians for Israel, we will continue to help in a practical way by providing transportation and shelter for Jews from all over Ukraine.

“They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:16b-17

Below is a video that we received from a Jewish girl from Mariupol, who recently left for Israel with our help. The car drives past the former office of the Jewish Agency, as well as the synagogue. Both buildings are in ruins, just as the largest part of the city.

There is work to be done

We have been receiving numerous requests from Jewish elderly and Holocaust survivors. Many of them, in addition to their advanced age, are bedridden. We try to help them as good as we can. For instance, we will try to evacuate a 99-year-old Jewish lady this week.

In short, there is much work to be done. We hope that we can continue the work in safety. Your prayers for safety and protection, especially as our vehicles head east in the coming days, remain needed. To conclude, you might say, ‘Together we can make a difference’.

We have special encounters with the people who come our way. Often times we can hardly believe the stories we hear. Also about the cruelties they have experienced. Many people are forced to live like animals. They have no food or drinks and it is still very cold at this time of year. We feel blessed that we can reach out a helping hand, offer warmth, comfort and encouragement. We are thankful that we can help these refugees on their way from the Land of North to the Promised Land!