By: Anastasiya Gooding

The ICEJ has been at the center of a remarkable wave of Aliyah over recent months despite the Corona travel bans, bringing 1,000 Jewish immigrants home to Israel since February. Many are escaping very difficult conditions, and are both thrilled and relieved they made it safely to Israel.

Yaroslav and Victoria arrived recently from Ukraine and are expecting their first child. Because of the advanced stage of Victoria’s pregnancy, it was very difficult to get her on a plane. Yet somehow the Jewish Agency got them on an ICEJ-sponsored ‘rescue’ flight from Kiev to Israel in mid-April. Now released from quarantine, they are busy settling into their new home in Ramla, in central Israel.

Married for little more than a year, Victoria explained why they decided to come and why now?

“I really wanted our child’s birth to take place in Israel”, she said. “Now that we have made it safely here, our parents can stop worrying.”

The journey to Israel began early in life for Victoria. “From my childhood, I had the feeling that I did not belong in the place where I was. When I grew up, I discovered my Jewish roots, which confirmed the truth of my experiences.”

In 2017, Victoria traveled to Israel for the first time to see relatives and went back sensing “this is the place where I want to be, the place that I belonged. A new calm settled over my soul.”

After that trip, Victoria began attending Hebrew courses and Jewish cultural events. She soon met Yaroslav, and not long after they married. He was fully supportive of her desire to start their new life together in the Jewish homeland. In fact, they took their honeymoon to Israel last year.

“These were two unforgettable weeks that gave us the motivation to do our best to live and build a family in Israel,” Yaroslav shared. As they settle into their new life in central Israel, what is ahead for this couple?

“We will live, we will work and try to give a decent life to our future generation”, said Yaroslav.

Victoria plans to study languages, while Yaroslav will make professional use of his artistic skills. Even amid the pandemic, this young family is full of bright plans for their future here in Israel.

“We are so happy to be here”, Victoria assured. “And we want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who helped us! Because it was our dream and such a deep desire in our hearts.”