Young Ukrainian Jews on Masa Programs Meet with Israeli PM Bennett

Whether targeted directly or caught in the crossfire, Ukraine’s centuries-old Jewish community has survived an endless number of crises. While these risks are by no means novel for this community, the Jewish world is in a very different place than it was just one century ago when pogroms were an unavoidable aspect of Jewish life.

In 2022, unlike any other time in history, the Jews of Ukraine are not alone. Over the past century, Jews have rallied around the idea that the Jewish world is stronger together. These connections have already impacted the experiences of Jews from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Just after the conflict began, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with a group of Ukrainian Jews participating in long-term educational programs in Israel through Masa Israel Journey, an organization founded by the government of Israel and the Jewish Agency with the express purpose of building connections between young diaspora Jews and Israel.

The emotional meeting demonstrated the importance of these connections. While they are largely unable to return to their homes in Ukraine, these Masa fellows were reminded by the Prime Minister that the Jewish state will always provide refuge.

“First and foremost, I want to tell you that you have a home here,” Prime Minister Bennett told the fellows. “Israel is your home, for you and your families, for any Jew in the world. Always. Now and always. That’s what Israel was established for, to begin with.”

Many current and potential Masa fellows from Ukraine and other FSU countries are taking advantage of Masa’s provision of financial and personal support to safely regroup and coordinate a safe departure for their families trapped in war-torn cities.

23-year-old Leonid Gershenzon, a Ukrainian Masa fellow who works in Ayanot, a youth village in central Israel, finds himself in this situation. He discussed his family’s precarious situation in Eastern Ukraine with Prime Minister Bennett.

“My sister, brother, father, my grandmother…they’re in Kharkiv in the east of the country,” Leonid said. “They can’t move … they can’t go away, they can’t go out.”

220 Ukrainian Masa fellows like Leonid and thousands of immigrants with family still in Ukraine watch in horror as the humanitarian crisis worsens in their country of origin.

220 Ukrainian Masa fellows like Leonid and thousands of immigrants with family still in Ukraine watch in horror as the humanitarian crisis worsens in their country of origin. Valeria Gusba, a 25-year-old Masa fellow from Ukraine, created a graphic novel about the difficulties her family members face as Russian artillery batters their homeland. Prime Minister Bennett read every page, urging her to share her story with others experiencing the same pain. Valeria now intends to make Aliyah after her program ends.

“My dream is for my family to unite in Israel,” Valeria said.

The existence of Israel alone is not the only resource Ukrainian Jews have in 2022. Their assets are connections—between Israel and the diaspora, and across Jewish communities around the world.

In Israel, hundreds of immigrants and temporary residents from Ukraine, Russia, and other FSU countries gather for meals, share living spaces, and join in the same Jewish traditions. Away from the conflict zone, they defy expectations and bring true meaning to the Jewish connections that have been developed over the past century.