The children of the Alumim Center, the children's home of Chabad Zhitomir who were rescued from the bombed-out Ukrainian city two weeks ago, were flown to Israel with the help of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ).
These children, who went through a grueling and dangerous journey that lasted 10 days, have now turned from refugees to supporters of children left behind.
In preparation for Purim, the children, who are staying in the JNF's field center, prepared blessings and holiday cards in Ukrainian and packed sweets in parcel deliveries to the refugee camps on the borders of Ukraine.
Seven-year-old Senijna showed her sweets package to the Children's Home Director Malki Boukiat, saying, "It's good for me to be here where there is no frightening noises of boom, but I miss my father and my friends who stayed in Zhitomir very much. I drew a smiling face on the card I made and pasted stickers so that they too would be happy. "
The Chief Rabbi of Zhytomyr and Western Ukraine, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, who organized the rescue operation, said the 100 children rescued from Ukraine received a warm embrace from the masses of good Israelis who come from the surrounding communities.
"And of course, make sure to have daily telephone contact - as much as possible, with the family members left in Zhytomyr," he said. "This weekend we managed to rescue another family from the city who joined us here in Ness Harim, with the help of the Chabad House in Munich, Germany."
