Israeli diplomats and institutions are heavily involved in helping and supporting Jewish and non-Jewish refugees and victims of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In a one hour video Zoom organised by the Israeli Consulate in NYC, diplomatic representatives at the embassies in Romania (deputy chief of mission Amir Sagron) and Poland(spokeperson and communications representative Irit Yakhnes) and Ilay Levi, specially dispatched in Moldova shared their experiences and emotional testimonies of what does it mean to be on the forefront of saving lives.
Within the overall frame of the global support offered to Ukraine, Israel - based on the decade long experience of emergency interventions - operates the humanitarian rescue operations. This involves, among others, providing tones of medical supplies, setting up a field hospital - Operation Shining Star with significant support of doctors and health institutions from Israel - aimed at helping people in urgent need of medical interventions. The humanitarian operations involved not only the embassies from countries neighbouring Ukraine, but other diplomatic representations as well. For instance, the six generators delivered via the embassy in Italy, allowing Ukrainian hospital to operate independently from the electricity shortages.
In addition to the consular efforts to rescue Israeli citizens in Ukraine - around 15,000-20,000, not all Jewish, but having an Israeli passport - and the representatives of the Jewish community, Israel, including through various NGOs operating in Ukraine, such as ISRAID, provided general support to people in need, no matter their passport and religion. A significant number of descendants of Righteous Among Nations, non-Jews who saved Jews during WWII, were also allowed the right to relocate to Israel.
´Israel was there´. On the ground, there are human stories of suffering and human solidarity. Pregnant women, children and elderly, with no other option but to be on the road to save their life. During WWII, Jewish refugees often lost their life desperately looking for safety. Now, there is a state ready to help them while doing tikkun olam in an Europe whose heart is bleeding the destruction of war.
