Difficult is also Possible
When something does not go smoothly, you quite often hear people say, “It was an uphill battle”. Now that the war has been going on for almost forty months, we have experienced what it means to be in an uphill battle on a regular basis!
Take 87-year-old Marat from the small town of Kryzopol. He did not want to leave for Israel. He kept saying no to his daughter and granddaughter who had emigrated to Israel years earlier and now live in Ashdod. “We don’t want you and Mom to wither away,” his daughter pleaded. “You have no one left in Ukraine— your whole family is already in Israel.” After much persuasion, Marat finally agreed. We were asked to accompany him and his wife, Liusia, to the Israeli embassy in Kiev for an interview and to apply for exit visas.
A Long Trip
Twice, the trip had to be postponed due to illness. Marat is a Holocaust survivor and carries this past with him. The third time it all went well. They received their exit visas the same day and we brought them and others to Kishenov for their flight to Israel. The 420- kilometre trip took more than twelve hours. At the border, we endured hours of delays, barely moving. When an air raid siren went off, we came to a complete standstill. But eventually, we crossed into Moldova. Marat was calm and once we passed the border he smiled! We wished him and the others a blessed journey to the land of their forefathers.
After the long journey we arrived in Moldova. | Photo: C4I Ukraine
Aliyah During Wartime
On Wednesday, 11 June, we brought a group of Ukrainian immigrants (olim) to Moldova. Their departure for Israel, scheduled for Thursday evening, 12 June, went ahead as planned. But the very next day, 13 June, Israel launched an attack on Iran. For the olim, who had only just arrived in their new homeland, the homecoming was not easy. They spent their first days in bomb shelters. Everyone had prepared for a difficult integration, but few had expected to begin their new life in the midst of a war with Iran.
On 13 June, Israel’s airspace was closed, forcing the next trips for olim from Sumy and other cities in Ukraine to be postponed. It was a major setback for many. While Ukraine’s airspace had already been closed for over forty months, we had never before experienced Israel’s airspace being closed indefinitely as well.
After twelve days of war, Israeli airspace reopened and Aliyah efforts resumed. Just one day after the ceasefire, a scheduled flight carrying 110 Jews from Western Europe was able to proceed—a miracle if you ask me. We are living in Biblical times and see Isaiah 43:6 being fulfilled even in this time of war and hardship:
“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back! Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth.’”
Moving Forward
Drone and rocket attacks in Ukraine continue unabated—more than a thousand drones and dozens of rockets have been fired in recent days. Still, immigration via Moldova is resuming.
It is crucial to continue praying for the safety of all drivers and olim, and that every journey—however difficult—will end in safe arrival.
