The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

"We did not want to leave but there is no choice": Jewish refugees leave the horrors of war behind Israel today

2022-03-24T21:16:28.241Z


Alex Guncher, who fled the Kyiv region, has to deal with the fear of never returning home The buses carrying the Jewish and Israeli refugees continue to depart from Laliv to the Polish border, and the number of passengers on them is dwindling daily. The bus that left on Wednesday morning was half empty, with no more than 25 passengers. The trip all the way to Poland was quiet, the people were gathered on their own, except for two children for whom it became a kind of trip. Aaron and M


The buses carrying the Jewish and Israeli refugees continue to depart from Laliv to the Polish border, and the number of passengers on them is dwindling daily.

The bus that left on Wednesday morning was half empty, with no more than 25 passengers.

The trip all the way to Poland was quiet, the people were gathered on their own, except for two children for whom it became a kind of trip.

Aaron and Meira, who were traveling with their children, ages 4 and 6, said they waited as long as they could.

They thought the situation would improve, and when they realized they did not - they decided to go to Israel.

"We preferred to stay, our life here in Ukraine and everything here, but we have no choice and have to travel to Israel even though we have no job there," said Ira.

Ukrainian refugees in the west of the country, Photo: Avi Cohen

Alex Guncher, 40, lives in the city of Bocha on the outskirts of Kyiv.

The Russian forces arrived in his city immediately at the beginning of the fighting, and then he, his wife and two daughters decided to leave the city and head towards the Polish border.

"We were on the road for a few days and stayed here as long as we could, but now there is no choice and we have decided to go towards the Polish border. My wife and daughters are waiting for me there, and I hope they will let me go because if not - we will all return to Lviv together."  

17 km from the border the bus stopped to wait for the consul. Despite the hot days and the scorching sun, no one is compensated here. One of the passengers, Alex Ponfilovich (whose family lives in Bat Yam), showed us his Israeli identity card and left Ukraine with his cat. Took her down to relax a bit in the field, then put her back in a cage.Alex's house in Chernihiv was destroyed, and now he hopes to start a new life in Israel alongside his family.

Refugee Assistance Center near the Medika border crossing in Przemyśl, Ukraine, Photo: Hadassah Spokeswoman

An hour and a half later, Consul Alon Shoham arrives, and everyone listens eagerly to his explanation of the process that is supposed to take place at the border.

His diplomatic vehicle instantly becomes a mobile consulate, calling people one by one, and inside the vehicle an employee of the consulate issues them temporary travel documents so they can leave Ukraine.

"The pressure goes down"

"We now feel that the pressure is going down a bit. If at first there were about dozens of buses a day, now it is one a day," Shoham told Israel Today.

"We are the only country that cares about its citizens. We will not leave anyone behind," he added.

Two taxi drivers carrying Ukrainian refugee children in their arms, Photo: AFP

Now the bus leaves for the border crossing and everyone is stressed.

The question of whether temporary travel documents will work for men, who according to Ukrainian law due to their age must stay in the country, becomes fateful.

Eventually, the certificates did the job and all the men crossed the border into Poland.

A sigh of relief was heard from the men and their families who feared they would not be let out, and when they received the documents, shouts of joy erupted on the bus.

Some will stay in Europe and some will come to Israel, but all explain that as soon as the war is over they will board the first plane and return to their home in Ukraine.

Were we wrong?

Fixed!

If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2022-03-24

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-12T06:54:06.035Z
News/Politics 2024-03-13T13:22:47.535Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.