Recently JRNU CEO Shlomi Peles participated in an event in Jerusalem to bring awareness to the history and current plight of Jews living in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Several of our rabbis also attended including Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm (Zhytomyr), Rabbi Nachum Ehrentroy, Rabbi Moshe Weber (Dnipro), and Rabbi David Eliezrie (California). The event highlighted the immense influence of Jewish organizations on the day-to-day survival of Jews in the region, particularly Ukraine, providing humanitarian aid, as well as spiritual support and emotional connections.
Leah Delinko, a 14-year-old girl from Zhytomyr, Ukraine, was born in Kyiv and raised in the Alumim Children’s Home. For the past 3 ½ years she has lived in Israel, where the orphanage has temporarily relocated to escape the war:
“When I was little, I knew I was Jewish but didn’t know what it meant,” she said. “At Alumim, I found warmth, love, and family.” She recounted her escape from the crisis in Ukraine, and her resettlement in Israel. “We fled from danger to the unknown. It was a long, exhausting journey, but we made it to the Promised Land. You saved our lives.”
Leah's testimony moved the audience to tears, underscoring the real-life impact of our work in Ukraine, saving Jewish children and families in crisis.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog saluted the Jewish communities of the FSU saying, “We salute you — the communities across Russia and the former Soviet Union. We remember and will never forget the Refuseniks who shaped my generation, and the heroes who fulfilled the dream of Aliyah and paid a heavy price.”
Together we save lives and restore hope.
