Program Stories

A 13-year-old Jewish girl in Romania when WWII began, 93-year-old Corina still recalls things most of us could never imagine. “We were not able to be in our house. We were very frightened. We couldn’t get out of Romania.”

Even when the world shut down during the global pandemic, God answered His people’s prayers. Even when all seemed hopeless for the neediest of His children, God answered prayers.

Thirty years ago, Magda made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) from Romania with her husband. The childless couple realized one of the dreams they’d long shared.

“I’m really waiting to make aliyah,” said six-year-old Laura, before she boarded a Fellowship Freedom Flight from Brazil to Israel this past month. It was a big move for the little Jewish girl, but Laura had worked hard to get ready.

Still just a young girl, Paulina fled the Soviet Union to the Ural Mountains with her Jewish family… to escape the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Svetlana has faced — and overcome — challenges her entire life. Born with cerebral palsy, she learned to cope with limited mobility — in the days before World War II, when those with disabilities found little help.

In her 87 years of life, Irina has known too much hardship… and too much fear. Just a young Jewish girl when World War II ravaged Europe, Irina watched the Soviets send her father to fight on the front. And she witnessed the Soviets blacklist her mother from teaching, as she was considered an enemy of the Communist party.

At 101 years old, Roza holds the title of oldest person in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet Republic. And in those 101 years, Roza has seen and experienced so much during her century of life… and much of it has been tragic.

Maria doesn’t remember much about the Holocaust. Fortunately she was too young during the war to

Ariel, Avikhen, Shaked, Hanoch, Hodaya, Shilat, Ofrat, Shilo, Moriya, Eliya, Shemesh. These are the names of Amira’s 11 children. And with her husband disabled, Amira must help these dozen people in her home in Sderot, a southern Israeli town near the Gaza border.

Your compassionate support helps Jews from around the world make aliyah (immigration to Israel) and start new lives in the Holy Land.

February marked one year since the passing of our founder, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, one of Israel’s greatest advocates. He began an incredible ministry of rescuing and supporting Jews in desperate need and brought thousands of Jews back home to Israel.