In a pre-recorded video interview broadcast to attendees at the Jerusalem Post London Conference, Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization and Acting Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency, reported on the organization’s efforts in bringing Jewish refugees from the war in Ukraine to Israel.
Speaking with Golan Bar-Yosef, editor-in-chief of Maariv, Hagoel emphasized the unique nature of the aliyah operation. “This is the most complex rescue and immigration operation in the past thirty years since the fall of the Iron Curtain. We are rescuing thousands of Jews from the battlefield, and we are bringing anyone who chooses to come to Israel to this country.” He pointed out that the aliyah process is challenging, even in the most routine of circumstances.
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In this case, when Jews from Ukraine are forced to leave without prior warning or process, it is even more daunting. “The main challenge of this aliyah,” said Hagoel, “is the escape and the rescue, and the second, no less significant part, is the fact that these families are not intact. We must remember that the majority of people coming here are leaving behind a father, husband or son. Any male between the ages of 18 and 60 may not leave Ukraine in wartime.”
Hagoel praised the efforts of local officials, government offices, the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption and noted that the Jewish Agency has had extensive experience in bringing millions of olim to Israel since before the founding of the state. He said that the successful absorption of the Ukrainian immigrants will largely depend on how the average Israeli relates to the refugees. “I see the challenge here first and foremost for Israelis living in Zion, in how we are taking them in as neighbors and friends and work colleagues.”
While agreeing that there is room for improvement in the overall absorption of immigrants in Israel, Hagoel praised the actions of both Diaspora Jewry and the Jewish community in Israel in providing financial and material assistance to the refugees. “It is amazing to see how the Jewish nation has united at this time,” he stated.
Hagoel added that both the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization are busy with Zionist and Jewish activities and programs throughout the year, apart from the immediate crisis in Ukraine.
The Jewish Agency will be bringing another 3,000 Ethiopians to Israel before Passover, he said, and the WZO and the Jewish Agency are leading the crusade to strengthen Jewish communities worldwide against antisemitism.