A Journey of Hope – Ukraine, 2022
We write the year 2022.
One day, the telephone rang.
On the other end of the line was a coordinator with a message that was impossible to ignore. The war between Russia and Ukraine had begun, and people were desperately in need of help.
There were Jewish Christians in Ukraine who needed to escape the war zone. They needed people willing to travel to the border, bring them safely out of Ukraine and take them to Moldova, from where they could continue their journey to Israel.
We knew this would not be an ordinary journey.
But we also knew that sometimes, when someone needs help, you simply have to step forward.
A large group of volunteers came together.
Our task was to travel to Ukraine, pick people up and bring them safely across the border to Moldova. From there, they could continue their journey to Israel.
Israel had established a programme to help people who could demonstrate that they were descendants of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Those who qualified could begin a new life in Israel, with support that could include a home, employment, an income and language lessons where needed.
For the people we transported, this was not simply a journey from one country to another.
It was a journey from fear toward safety.
From uncertainty toward hope.
From a life interrupted by war toward the possibility of a new beginning.
We made the journey several times.
And there were moments when things became very tense.
You could feel the uncertainty in the air. You could see the fear and exhaustion in the faces of the people we met. We witnessed pain, sadness and emotions that are difficult to describe in words.
Yet every time, we returned safely.
For approximately six weeks, we based ourselves in a small house near the border at Otaci, Moldova, close to Ukraine.
The group of volunteers was regularly changed so that people could take turns helping. But in order to keep costs as low as possible and to ensure that the handovers between the different teams went smoothly, I remained there for six consecutive weeks.
Six weeks living close to a war zone.
Six weeks of waiting.
Six weeks of driving back and forth.
Six weeks of meeting people whose lives had been turned upside down.
And six weeks of witnessing things that you never forget.
There were moments of laughter, moments of silence, moments of relief and many moments of deep sadness.
Then, toward the end of our time there, rumours began circulating that Russia might bomb an oil refinery just across the border.
Whether the information was correct or not, we could not take the risk.
For safety reasons, we made the decision to bring everyone to a safe place and return home.
Thankfully, the rumour remained just that — a rumour.
But it reminded us once again how fragile everything was.
Looking back now, it was an incredibly intense period.
We saw fear, pain, loss and uncertainty.
We saw people who had left behind their homes, their possessions and everything familiar to them.
We saw families carrying little more than a bag.
But we also saw something else.
Hope.
Hope in the eyes of people who had lost almost everything.
Hope because someone was willing to help.
Hope because a border could be crossed.
Hope because somewhere ahead there might be a safe place to begin again.
It was deeply sad that this work was necessary in the first place.
No one should have to flee their home because of war.
No family should have to say goodbye without knowing what tomorrow will bring.
And yet, despite all the sadness, we are grateful.
Deeply grateful that we were given the opportunity to be of significance to others.
We did not solve the war.
We could not take away their pain.
We could not change what had happened.
But for some people, we could do one small but very important thing:
We could help them get to safety.
That experience changed us.
It showed us once again that a helping hand does not always have to be something enormous.
Sometimes it is simply getting into a vehicle.
Driving toward the border.
Opening a door.
Offering a seat.
Listening to someone’s story.
And making sure they are not alone.
2022 will forever remain a deeply moving chapter in our memories.
A chapter filled with tension, sadness, pain and many emotions.
But also a chapter filled with friendship, cooperation, courage and humanity.
And above all, a chapter for which we remain deeply, deeply grateful.
Grateful to every volunteer who helped.
Grateful to everyone who supported the mission.
Grateful for every safe journey.
And grateful that, even in a time of war and uncertainty, we were allowed to be there for people who desperately needed a helping hand.
Sometimes you cannot change the world.
But you can change someone’s world.
And sometimes, that is enough.