90 new immigrants landed at Ben-Gurion Airport yesterday - one year since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The immigrants, who arrived on a special charter flight of the Friendship Fund, were received upon disembarking from the plane by the Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Ofir Sofer and the president of the Friendship Fund, Yael Ekstein, and then went through an absorption procedure in Benghazi by employees of the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, who issued have the required documents and send them to the reception centers.
Among the immigrants who arrived yesterday, there was also the Pomariko family, which includes Sergey (41), Lyudmila (36) and daughter Ksenia (8).
Sergey works as a software engineer, and hopes that he will be able to continue working in the profession in Israel as well.
Yesterday he told about the history of the family during the year they lived in the war: "We went through hell in the last year.
The most familiar sound was the sound of an alarm.
We lived on the 10th floor and every time there was an alarm I grabbed Ksenia by the arms and we ran ten floors down to the shelter.
that was scary.
I told Ksenia that it's like a game where the goal is to get to the shelter as quickly as possible.
Recently, power outages started and we sat in the dark the whole time.
You can't continue to live like this."
Sergey, Lyudmila and daughter Ksenia who immigrated from Ukraine, photo: Avishag Shaar Yeshav
On the decision to immigrate to Israel he said: "We wanted to immigrate to Israel for a long time.
We started the process in 2019 and then the corona virus started which changed the plans.
I thank the Friendship Foundation for the care and assistance in completing everything required for the aliya, which will enable a good future for my daughter.
I want her to laugh, meet children her age and make new friends in Israel."
Millions for raising Jews
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than 15,000 new immigrants from Ukraine and about 45,000 new immigrants from Russia have immigrated to the State of Israel, who were taken in by Israel as part of the "Home Immigrants" operation run by the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption.
Most of the immigrants who fled Ukraine arrived in Israel via Poland and Moldova as part of a joint immigration effort by the Jewish Agency and the Friendship Fund.
The minister speaks with the immigrants from Ukraine.
It is necessary to address the issue of Hebrew studios, photo: Avishag Shaar Yeshav
Immigrants from Ukraine.
"It was impossible to continue living like this", photo: Avishag Shaar Yeshav
With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Friendship Foundation donated 26 million dollars which were used to bring thousands of Jews to Israel and to help the communities that remained there.
Through the aliya system she established, in the past year, about 5,000 new immigrants from Ukraine immigrated to Israel via Chisinau in Moldova.
At the same time, the friendship fund helps the Jewish communities in the countries of the former Soviet Union through funding directed to organizations operating in the field, including the Joint and Chabad, which provide a response to the welfare needs of the elderly and families and, among other things, distribute food packages, winter clothes, purchase essential medicines, operate face-to-face and online education frameworks.
"I'm excited to stand here"
The Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Ofir Sofer, who is the first time he receives the new immigrants in Israel, said: "I came this morning to receive the immigrants who fled the difficult war in Ukraine. I came to tell them that they have arrived home. As MK, I was one of the first to go to the refugee camps on In order to examine how the State of Israel can assist those who wish to immigrate to the State of Israel, that is why I am excited to stand here as Minister of Immigration and Absorption.
The Ministry of Immigration and Absorption works and will work for the absorption of immigrants in an optimal way, and as soon as I entered the office I was required to deal with the issue of Hebrew studios alongside other cross-cutting issues.
I see the utmost importance in absorbing immigrants in the best possible way and learning the Hebrew language, which is the key for immigrants to integrate into the job market and community in Israel."
President of the Yael Eckstein Friendship Foundation.
"Proud for the privilege of bringing the ascension of many to their homeland", photo: Eric Sultan
The president of the Friendship Foundation, Yael Eckstein, said: "The arrival of 90 additional new immigrants, a year after the outbreak of the war, marks a dozen months of war in which we assisted the immigration of over 5,000 Jews from Ukraine.
I am proud of the great privilege that fell to us, along with our partners in the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, the Jewish Agency and partner organizations, to bring about the immigration of so many to their homeland.'
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