110 Ukrainian Jews from ATO zone repatriated to Israel

In the early morning on Tuesday, 24 March, a plane landed at Ben-Gurion international airport with 110 repatriates from Ukraine. There were six infants, around 20 children and 80 adult members of the Jewish community who lived in the war zone in Donbass.

Among them was the family of Irina Grigorievna Shelkaeva, who was killed during fighting in Donetsk. The relatives were met by Irina’s niece, Liora Nisim, who was repatriated from Donetsk 17 years ago under the “Naale” project.

This is the third flight with repatriates from Ukraine organized by the “Friendship Foundation” (Keren Edidut). The first two brought around 450 Jews to Israel.

In addition to the usual privileges that repatriates are entitled to (Sal Klita), the Friendship Foundation gave financial support to the new arrivals, which will help them to find their feet in their new home more quickly.

“Every generation has its own Exodus. At one time, Jews of the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia made their Exodus and were successfully repatriated in the Promised Land. Now the time has come to help the Jews of Ukraine make their own Exodus,” said the president of the Friendship Foundation, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

In the coming months, the organization plans several more flights with repatriates from Ukraine.

The charitable foundation which supports Israel and the Jewish people was founded in the USA in 1983 to promote projects leading to the consolidation of Israeli society.

Source: Friendship Foundation