With over 130,000 Russian Troops poised on the Ukrainian border, the fate of the Jews in that country becomes a significant concern for the Israeli government. A recent article in JPost reported on a “secret plan” formulated by the government that will be implemented should Russia invade Ukraine.

The covert operation has Biblical implications written in the Book of Isaiah.

An escape plan

On Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on any Israelis in Ukraine to leave. 

“Come home,” he said at the start of the cabinet meeting. “Don’t take an unnecessary risk. Don’t wait for the situation in which you’ll want to return, and it will already be impossible. Show responsibility for your own lives; leave Ukraine as quickly as possible and come home.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that to facilitate the evacuation of Israelis by land on Ukraine’s western border, his office has already discussed a contingency plan with the Ukrainian government to open a second diplomatic office in Lviv.

Israel is in a delicate position regarding the conflict.

“I may be more careful than other foreign ministers,” Lapid said. “But I have a problem that they don’t: Russia and Ukraine have huge Jewish communities, so we need to be careful.”

There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Israelis currently in Ukraine. Among them, 6,450 registered with the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv to get updates, and the embassy is trying to reach the others. About 2,000 Israelis are studying in Ukraine, most of whom are Arabs.

It is unclear how many Jews live in Ukraine, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to 360,000. An estimated 200,000 Ukrainians qualify for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

Additionally,  Israel is a close ally of the US and takes its cue from the US in many foreign policy decisions. But Russia has a significant military presence in Syria. Israel has had the tacit support of Russia in its air attacks on Iranian military assets. 

“Our stance is clear,” Lapid said. “We need to prevent an armed confrontation between Russia and Ukraine… Israel is not involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and therefore behaves cautiously.”

Ten flights to Israel left Ukraine over the weekend, most of which were not complete. Thirty-two more flights are planned for this week. Travel insurance companies said they would not insure flights from Ukraine beginning on Monday.

According to the JPost report, an operation to bring Ukrainian Jews to Israel will be overseen by the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption headed by Pnina Tamano-Shata (Blue and White). When asked by the JPost how many Ukrainian Olim (immigrants) she was expecting, Tamano-Shata answered that she had “no way to indicate at this moment,” adding “it could be “tens of thousands or just thousands.”

Help from fellows

Yael Eckstein, head of The International Fellowship of Christians returnied last week from Ukraine and finalizing emergency preparation plans. While there, she helped the people prepare, entering homes and meeting with Ukrainian Jews to hear their needs. 

“The Fellowship is active in Ukraine in several ways, Eckstein said, emphasizing that they operate their independent aliyah operation. She emphasized that the Fellowship is prepared for any eventuality. “We bring about 87% of the Olim from Ukraine to Israel.”

“Right now, there’s no war, and hopefully there won’t be,” Eckstein told Israel365 News. “We continue during times of peace, during times of war, and we’re not affected by nor involved in any of the politics around it.”

“Part of the reason The Fellowship is so effective is that we don’t involve ourselves in politics. We help people in need – period. We know how to operate under all circumstances, and we’re prepared for anything.”

Eckstein interpreted a verse in Isaiah that was intensely relevant to current events.

He will hold up a signal to the nations And assemble the banished of Yisrael, And gather the dispersed of Yehuda From the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:12

“Sometimes I think that the reason Isaiah said that the Jewish people would come home to Israel  [at the]  end of days is because he knew that anti-Semitism would once again raise its ugly head and if they didn’t come home to Israel, the only country where there’s a Jewish government, where there’s a Jewish army, who’s an only concern is protecting the Jewish people unlike anywhere in the entire world, that there wouldn’t be any Jewish people left in the world because of all the anti-Semitism,” Eckstein said.