75 Ukrainian Jews Immigrate to Israel in Midst of Tension on Russia-Ukraine Border

Some 75 Ukrainian Jews immigrated to Israel on Sunday, as the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remained high. The flight was organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), the Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, and had been scheduled ahead of the current crisis. But Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, herself an immigrant from Ethiopia, used the plane’s arrival to send a message to Jews who still live in Ukraine. “Israel will always be their home, our gates are open to them as usual, and of course in emergencies. Today we are happy to greet dozens of immigrants from Ukraine and we are prepared to absorb thousands who want to move to Israel,” she said.  Senior Israeli government officials told the Jerusalem Post last week that Israel has a secret plan to rescue Jews and their relatives in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tamano-Shata said she has instructed her ministry to prepare for a scenario under which thousands of immigrants would arrive in Israel in the wake of a Russian attack. Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called on the thousands of Israeli citizens remaining in Ukraine to leave and return to Israel. “This is not the time to say ‘it’ll be OK,'” Bennett said during the weekly Cabinet meeting. “It’s better to be inconvenienced now than to be in real danger later. Come home.”