The last group of Jews making Aliyah in 2018 have journeyed to Israel this week to begin their lives in the Holy Land.
By Joseph Wolkin
Thanks to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), 330 “olim,” or new immigrants, have landed in Israel from Ukraine.
“Immigration to Israel is a blessing,” Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of IFCJ, said.
This particular group of olim are departing an increasingly difficult situation in Ukraine. The country is continuing to battle Russia, and many of the new Israeli immigrants have been struggling with economic hardship.
Kiev has been fighting on and off with Moscow since 2014. And the Ukrainian government just announced on Thursday that January 1 will be a day of commemoration for Ukrainian Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.
In August, IFCJ helped 400 Ukrainian Jews move to Israel. Overall, the group has brought about 4,800 Olim to Israel this year alone. The immigrants include people from 29 different nations.