ICEJ Sponsors Aliyah Flights, Seminars, and Medical Rescues from the North
The astonishing influx of Jewish people making Aliyah to Israel is nearing levels we haven’t seen since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989. Most of these new immigrants are Russian-speaking Jews from the Former Soviet Republic (FSU). Economic hardships and war-related issues have prompted thousands of Jewish families to plan their move to Israel—and the ICEJ is supporting the Jewish Agency’s initiatives in those regions most affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In the first quarter of 2023, more than 16,000 Russian-speaking Jews from former Soviet lands made Aliyah, a similar rate to the more than 62,000 who came last year. This means over 250,000 Russian-speaking Jews have made Aliyah since the Ukraine conflict began in 2014, making it a historic Aliyah wave from the North. Here are ways the Christian Embassy has been helping with this mass Aliyah.
Aliyah Seminar in Lithuania
After the fall of the Soviet Union, many Russian-speaking Jews moved to the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia hoping to find peace, safety, and economic opportunities for their children. These hopes began to fade when Russia invaded Ukraine last year, and concerns grew about possible problems spreading to the Baltics. Lithuania also took in thousands of Ukrainian war refugees, and overall, Aliyah has since more than tripled from the Baltic region.
In April 2023 the ICEJ supported a weekend Aliyah seminar for young families in the Baltic states held in Vilnius, Lithuania. This city is a former Soviet republic that is now part of the European Union. It shares borders with Russia, Belarus, and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
The Aliyah seminar hosted 52 potential Olim at a hotel where they enjoyed Shabbat together, a good meal, and the hotel’s amenities. Teachers from Israel spoke about Passover and Shavuot, as well what to look forward to and plan for in their new life in Israel—the main theme for the weekend.
Summer Camps
Last year the ICEJ helped the Jewish Agency coordinate a special summer camp in September and later a winter camp in December for Jewish children from both the Baltic states and Ukraine. Additionally, pre-Aliyah events were held during Hanukkah and Purim. These special events were supervised by Ilze Saulite, our Latvian national director and regional Aliyah coordinator, who has been active in this work since the 1990s.
Flights and Expenses
Aliyah from the Baltic states has surged since February 2022 when the war started, and the Jewish Agency has asked ICEJ to help with Aliyah flights and preparation expenses. The ICEJ has responded by sponsoring 200 Aliyah flights from the Baltic region. Adding in other former Soviet republics and Ethiopia, the Christian Embassy has already sponsored nearly 1,000 Aliyah flights so far this year.
Vilnius was once known as the “Jerusalem of the North”—a name given by Napoleon on his way to Moscow in 1812. The region became a relatively safe haven for Ashkenazi Jews fleeing western Europe during times of severe persecution, such as from Germany in the First Crusade (1096–1099) and in the expulsions from England (1290), France (1306 and 1394), and Spain (1492).
Life was not completely without problems; there were pogroms and restrictions following the order of Catherine the Great to establish the Pale of Settlement, a large Jewish ghetto stretching from today’s Ukraine into Poland and Lithuania. At the height of the Russian Empire, some 5 million Jews lived in Russian lands, including 3 million who lived in the Pale of Settlement (as depicted in the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”).
During World War II, these Jewish communities endured the worst persecution in their history at the hands of Nazi Germany—most of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust were from this area. After the war, many Holocaust Survivors fled to Israel. Now, many of the remaining Jews are preparing to finally follow them home to the Jewish State, and the Christian Embassy stands ready to help.
Medical Rescue Flight for Ukrainian Jewish Family
During Passover in April, the ICEJ also helped a family of five from eastern Ukraine fly to Israel. The grandfather, Boris, is in his mid-60s and needs regular dialysis treatment, which required special help on his flight. The family had just traveled from their home in occupied eastern Ukraine through two former Soviet republics in a difficult and harrowing journey that included border interrogations and cell phone checks. The ICEJ covered the flights for all five family members and the urgent medical care needed upon arrival.
Because they landed in Israel during Passover when the airport immigration desk is usually unstaffed, the Jewish Agency took extra steps to ensure that the family was well received and taken to where they would lodge—and that Boris received his dialysis treatments throughout the Passover holidays, which the ICEJ also covered.
The family was so glad to be free after more than a year of life under occupation. This was truly a Passover story, which the ICEJ was thrilled to be a part of.
“Finally, our dream came true,” said Boris after landing in Israel. “Thanks a lot to the Jewish Agency and also the ICEJ, who supported us and helped us regain our freedom!”
The history of the Jewish people is not just one of persecution and exile but also resilience in the face of adversity. These Jewish newcomers from Ukraine, the Baltic States, and other former Soviet republics will help build Israel and fulfill the destiny of the Jewish people.
You can help the Jewish people as they make their plans to move home to Israel. Support Aliyah today.