A special flight of the Jewish Agency carrying about 90 immigrants from Ukraine landed in Israel, accompanied by players of the National Football League of the USA (NFL), who came to express support for Israel in a delegation of the CUFI organization
Chairman of the Jewish Agency Maj. Gen. Doron Almog welcomed them in Israel: "We will continue to do everything in our power to save more Jews and receive them with love in Israel"
The football players are part of a delegation of Christians who love Israel, which is coming to Israel at the initiative of the CUFI organization to express support for the state of Israel. Israel. The representatives of the organization received the flight of immigrants in Israel together with the chairman of the Jewish Agency Lt. Col. Doron Almog.
Before arriving in Israel, the members of the delegation visited the death camp in Auschwitz accompanied by a representative of Yad Vashem and participated in a memorial ceremony in Krakow, with the aim of learning about the history of the Jewish people and the horrors of the Holocaust. After that they visited the aid center of the Jewish Agency in Warsaw, where they learned about the rescue operations of Ukrainian Jews and met the Jewish refugees who were taken in by the center before immigrating to Israel.
The four players who joined the Jewish Agency's immigrant flight are Shaun Alexander, Jay Feely, Nate Boyer and Nick Lowry.
Upon their landing in Israel, they were welcomed by a CUFI delegation that includes American pastors and Rabbis and graduates of special units of the US Army. The delegation will be headed by Pastor John Hagee, founder and president of the CUFI organization and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents.
Since the beginning of the war about a year ago, over 15,000 immigrants from Ukraine immigrated to Israel with the assistance of The Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption and were taken in by more than 170 communities in Israel. The activities of the Jewish Agency were enabled thanks to generous support of world Jewry, led by the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod and with the help of donations from friends of Israel.
Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Major General Doron Almog, who welcomed them at the airport: "The war in Ukraine is not over yet and we at The Jewish Agency continue to act and do everything we can to save more and more Jews, to receive them with open arms and love. Together with our partners in the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, the local municipalities and with the assistance of world Jewry, led by the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod, we will continue to lead the immigration and absorption project in the State of Israel. I thank our friends from the CUFI organization from the bottom of my heart, for helping us bring in immigrants from Ukraine at this difficult time.'
CUFI made a significant generous contribution to the rescue and immigration efforts of the Jewish Agency for the Jews of Ukraine. Founder and Chairman of CUFI Pastor John Hagee said: "From clergy to professional athletes, support for Israel spans the entire American political spectrum. At this defining moment in history, it is essential that we continue to educate and empower pro-Israel activists to ensure that we never take our freedoms or our alliances for granted."
Among the 90 olim (immigrants) on the flight are also three generations of the same family from the bombarded city of Zaporizhia - grandmother Valentina and grandfather Yuri, their daughter Natalia and grandson Ivan. Natalia's husband was forced to stay in Ukraine due to the local law that prohibits men under the age of 60 from leaving. The 85-year-old grandfather Yury who survived the Holocaust said: "I had to leave Ukraine as a child. I never believed it would happen again. I really want to live a normal, quiet life, that everything will work out for the best in Israel for my large family.' His daughter Natalia, who left her husband behind, added: "We are all immigrating together, one big family. We want to live and develop in Israel. I hope that my husband will join us soon and that we will have a good future in Israel.'