Over 6,000 Jewish refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Israel since the outset of the Russian invasion of the country 39 days ago, and one organization has taken it upon itself to help them rebuild their uprooted lives in the Jewish State.
Nemaha Levi, CEO of ALYNU, says her NGO and its people have devoted themselves to helping the thousands of Jewish immigrants who arrived in Israel as part of the Law of Return — which allows any Jew to make Aliyah to the Jewish state and attain citizenship automatically — to adjust to their new lives by aiding them to integrate into Israeli society.
Although the focus of ALYNU was initially on assisting new immigrants from the United States, Levi now works with a large number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
When faced with the struggles of a new life, Levi explains, “a large percentage” of Jewish immigrants from the United States end up leaving Israel — a privilege the Ukrainian refugees do not have.
“The Ukrainians are coming, a lot of them… [have professions] just like the Americans, but they don’t have [somewhere to go back to]. So I don’t look at this as an option, I look at this as an obligation,” Levi added.
One new arrival helped by ALYNU is 11-year-old Masha who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine alongside her mother.
Despite the innate difficulty entailed in moving to a new country, Masha is already attending a new school in Israel. And though her old friends are waiting to return to Ukraine, Masha sees a brighter future in her new home.
“There’s a better situation now in Israel because, in Kyiv, my home is destroyed. There’s nothing left for me there," she said.