Tue 01 March 2022:
Following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, the Jewish Agency, which handles immigration matters, set up a special hotline to help those interested in leaving the country and heading to Israel as well as Israelis who have relatives in Ukraine.
So far more than 5,000 Ukrainian Jews have called in, with nearly half of the callers expressing interest in moving to Israel immediately, Haaretz reported yesterday.
Ukraine is home to a Jewish community of approximately 43,000 people. However, about 200,000 Ukrainians are eligible for immigration under Israel’s Law of Return, which enables a person with one Jewish grandparent to immigrate to Israel and become an Israeli citizen.
Israel’s Immigration and Absorption Ministry said it was making preparations for taking in around 10,000 new immigrants from Ukraine in the coming weeks, including providing housing and financial aid.
Last year, a total of 3,100 Ukrainians immigrated to Israel, reported Haaraetz.
The Jewish Agency said Monday that more than 5,000 Ukrainians have inquired about moving to Israel after Russia launched an invasion of their country.
A spokeswoman told AFP that the agency has set up a hotline following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week to assist Jews wanting to immigrate.
So far there have been more than 5,000 requests, she said.
The Jewish Agency said it was establishing six aliyah processing stations on Ukraine’s borders with Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary.
“From there, they will cross the border into Ukraine every day, together with Israel’s diplomatic teams, in order to continue assisting Ukrainian Jews who want to immigrate to Israel,” it explained in a statement.
“The immigrants are being temporarily housed in a hotel near Warsaw where they will remain until they are flown to Israel shortly. Upon arrival in Israel, the immigrants will receive temporary housing, with help from the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption,” it added.
The stations “are meant to immediately assist the expected waves of immigration due to the war in Ukraine”, a statement said, and more will be staffed as needed.
Israeli government officials are responsible for evaluating the eligibility of immigration claims.
According to Israeli law, Jews, their children, grandchildren, and spouses are eligible for citizenship.
The Israeli foreign ministry said at least 2,000 Israelis have left Ukraine since Thursday, and estimated that at least another 6,000 Israelis remain in the country.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian foreign ministry in the Israeli-occupied West Bank said it was working to help some 2,600 Palestinians in Ukraine, including hundreds of students.
Palestinian embassy workers had assisted dozens of students who evacuated to Romania and Poland, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Deek said.
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