‘You are safe now’ – 90 Jewish orphans who fled Ukraine arrive in Israel
The group who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded last month are part of a special operation to rescue some 300 Jews from the fighting.
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other cabinet ministers were on hand at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday to greet a group of 90 Jewish orphans who fled Ukraine after Russia invaded last month.
El Al, Israel’s largest airline, said the flight was part of a special operation to rescue some 300 Jews from the fighting in Ukraine.
The airline said Ukrainian-speaking staff were on board the flight to assist. Some of the orphans have family members who are still in fighting areas, it added.
Bennett, who was accompanied by Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, entered the aircraft to welcome the children, introducing himself to one boy by saying, “I am Naftali, prime minister of Israel. Would you like to come into Israel?”
90 ילדים מבית הילדים בז’טומיר נחתו עכשיו בישראל. התרגשתי לקבל את פניהם ואמרתי להם – אתם בטוחים עכשיו, הגעתם לחוף מבטחים.
כשעמדתי לצד גילת בנתב”ג צפיתי בילדים נכנסים בשער. ראיתי בעיניים שלהם את התלאות שעברו. pic.twitter.com/hMc9q5ndwM
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) March 6, 2022
“We are now seeing children immigrating to Israel. It is the most moving thing there is,” Bennett told media at the bottom of the steps from the plane as the children disembarked.
He later tweeted that he had told the children, “You are safe now, you have reached safe shores.”
The children fled the city of Zhytomyr and with the help of local Chabad groups last week crossed the border to Romania and then stayed in the city of Cluj-Napoca, the Walla news site reported. From there they flew to Israel. Chabad, a Hasidic organisation that works to maintain Jewish life around the world, has branches in both Ukraine and Romania.
Roni Shabtai, Israel’s consul in Romania, told Walla last week that the children, the eldest of whom was around 12 and the youngest just two, walked 400 meters through the snow in below-freezing temperatures in order to cross the border.
He said Israeli officials, including himself, met the orphans at the border.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
