EZRA INTERNATIONAL
Rescue, Return, Restore – Poor Jewish People to Israel
Stories from the Field
Stories of Jewish people we’ve helped make aliyah (emigrate to Israel).
Vanina M from Buenos Aires
“This is a bit of my Aliyah journey I’d like to share with you. My name is Vanina. I am making Aliyah with my son, Netanel, and my daughter, Naomi. We love Israel! In fact, I am toshav chozer because we are returning to the place they were born and to where we all...
Catalina and Mauro M from Entre Rios
“My name is Catalina. I am from Entre Rios, Argentina. I have decided to make Aliyah with my husband Mauro and our little daughter. Aliyah means a lot for me but especially it means a new life ahead of us as a family. I do remember that I have this desire to make...
I Felt Like a Real King! – Vasili B from Kherson
Vasili did not ‘fall’ into Ezra’s hands immediately. Firstly, the Jewish aid organisation Chesed in Odessa received a call from Vasili’s daughter from Israel with a request to help find and evacuate her father from Kherson and help him get to Israel. A few days before...
Vadim Sh from Tiraspol, Transnistria, Moldova
“The idea of making aliyah has been brewing in my head for a long time, especially since my cousin Vladislav, quite recently, in October 2022, left for the SELA (Village) youth training program and the first acquaintance with the country of Israel, of course, comes...
Ramaz I from Gori
“I graduated from school and, like other guys, started to work and live my own life. But time goes by and looking around I saw that nothing is changing. I live in a small city, Gori, and there’s nothing interesting for me here – every day is the same routine over...
Boris and Elya P from Yalta
Boris is making aliyah with his wife Elya and sons Georgii and Yuri. He tells their story: “We ourselves are from Donetsk. Therefore, the main reason for our move is that it was very dangerous for us to stay in Donetsk. The area where we lived was often shelled. And...
Stories
Sérgio S from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“My name is Sérgio from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I am making Aliyah with my mother Elza. “Aliyah to me means to revive anew. I decided to make Aliyah after having no more expectations in Brazil. Israel offers a very high standard of living for my mother and me. We hope...
Valentina K from Kyiv
“I have lived all my life in Kyiv. My husband was a wonderful man, and we had a happy life together. We had one daughter and now I have two grandchildren. My husband died last year, and I was left a widow. My daughter’s family and I started to live together as we...
Oleg and Elena B from Kyiv
“My wife, Elena, and I are residents of Kiev. I am a photographer by profession and my wife is a Russian language teacher. We have raised a son and already have a granddaughter. My son and his family live in Israel. He went there to study on a student program and...
Raul and Carolina Y from Buenos Aires
“My name is Raúl, I´m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m making aliyah along with my wife Carolina and our children, Naomi and Ariel. Aliyah means the possibility of continuing our lives in the Promised Land and together with the people to which we belong by origin...
Micheal and Joeleide A from Sao Paulo
“My name is Micheal, I am from São Paulo, Brazil. I am heading to Israel with my wife Joeleide and son Benjamin. Aliyah means a divine call, within the soul, to rise and live in Israel, to participate in the flourishing of the country.” “Since I was 13 years old I...
Jessica and Nicolas A from Buenos Aires
“We are Jessica and Nicolas from Buenos Aires, Argentina. For us aliyah means growth, projects, future, family. The first step to improve our quality of life in a country that allows us to progress. We made the decision as a family, so that we can both develop, both...
Nataliya D from Konotop
“It is a tremendous miracle for me that my mother was able to find documents proving our Jewish roots and that we can make aliyah. We have been dreaming about this in our family for a long time but only now is the dream coming true.” “When I was a teenager, I wanted...
Simona and Viktor F from Samara
“Making aliyah for us means to live in our own country, our own land together with people who are close and dear to us. Our daughters and grandchildren have been living in Israel already for a long time. We decided we wanted to live near them. We are hoping...
Yanina and Alejandro B from Buenos Aires
My name is Yanina, I´m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am making aliyah with my husband, Alejandro, and daughter, Iara. We come from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina – 3 Jews by birth with Jewish culture!” “For us aliyah means being able to start a new life...
Aleksandr and Tatiana S from Kremenchug
“I am Russian according to my passport, Jewish by nationality, a former military pilot. We have been living in Ukraine for a long time in the city of Kremenchug. Our daughter and her family have lived in Israel for a very long time. Although there was talk about war...
Rodolfo and Suzanna O from Sao Paulo
“We are Rodolfo and Suzanna from São Paulo, Brazil. Aliyah for us means a return to our origins. My children made aliyah and now we also have grandchildren, we intend to be close to them.” “We had difficulties with bureaucracy and high and hard expenses to get the...
Rafik and Raisa I from Baku
“Our children would call us and convince us that we should come to them in Israel. At first, we did not dare to leave and then we said, ‘what do we lose if we go?’ You have to leave while you can. How do you know what will happen tomorrow? It is all unknown. So,...
Denise and Marcelo S from Buenos Aires
“We are Denise and Marcelo, along with our son Alex from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Aliyah means finding a better future for our family.” “Recently my daughter entered the Naale study program and went to live in Israel for 3 years. We believe that she will definitely...
Veronika and Aleksandr T from Rostov on Don
“Aliyah is a family reunion for me. My sister already lives in Israel and 18 months ago my daughter left on the NAALE education program. I had to go through a process of DNA testing to check the relationship with my father. He had three daughters from three different...
Sarah W from Sao Paulo
“My name is Sarah, I am from São Paulo, Brazil. I am making aliyah with my daughter Eliane and son Leonardo.” “Aliyah means an opportunity to restore life. I made the decision to make aliyah when I exhausted all my strength to continue believing in Brazil. It's been...
Larisa B from Usole-Sibirskoe
My grandfather, Isaak, died in Ukraine during the Second World War. My grandmother, Maria, was evacu“ated to Irkutsk in 1941 where my father Eduard was born. Dad lived and studied in Usole-Sibirskoe where he married my mother and later my brother and I were added to...
Gabriel P from Cordoba
“My name is Gabriel, I´m from Córdoba, Argentina. Aliyah for me means being able to "go back" to my roots, my origins and reconnect with who I truly am. I made the decision to make aliyah being aware that my professional experience is in Tourism and Theater, both of...
Evgenii U from Brovary
“Israel, for me, is a country of opportunities and I see my future only there! I am 23 years and have a higher technical education. I tried to study well in school, and I think I have already achieved a lot. It is difficult to get a job in my speciality as a design...
Eder and Karen S from Sao Paulo
“My name is Eder Maciel, I am from São Paulo, Brazil. I am making aliyah with my wife, Karen and son, Jonathan. We made the decision to make aliyah to provide a better quality of life for our family, because aliyah, for me, means this: better quality of life, new...