Thousands of Ukrainian refugees have been arriving in Israel over the past few weeks, and among them are two quite exceptional people -- two women, both Holocaust survivors, one aged 91 and the other aged 100.
The two women were rescued with the aid of the ZAKA organization and escaped Ukraine via Moldova, making their way through forests, sometimes under fire, along with six other people from their home town of Chirnigov -- the three grandchildren of one of the elderly ladies; an elderly couple; and another adult lady. All were in danger of their lives.
Nachman Dickstein, ZAKA's deputy head in Ukraine, along with his wife, participated in the rescue operation. "We succeeded in rescuing an 100-year-old lady who was born in 1921, a survivor of the Holocaust and the Second World War," he related. "She had just two hours to pack up a life of 100 years into a few bags. We met her at the Ukrainian border with Moldova and took her for a medical check-up. In a few days' time we'll bring her to Israel on a special ZAKA flight for those who need medical attention."
Chaim Otmazgin, a senior ZAKA official, recounted the special rescue. "It looked like mission impossible at first," he related. "It was, and still is, very dangerous for civilians to be moving around in Ukraine, especially in areas that have basically been conquered by Russia. But our volunteers were determined and managed to contact some of the locals who helped make it possible.
"Even that wasn't simple," he continued. "The only contact we had was once a day, when someone went up onto the roof of a nine-story building in order to have good enough reception to call us and listen to our instructions. Just one day before the bridge connecting Chirnigov to Kyiv was bombed, eight people crossed on their way out of Ukraine. The story of how we managed to get gasoline for the vehicle that took them out is one that is best left untold. But I will just mention that in return for a little financial consideration, Russian soldiers allowed them to pass. It was like something out of the history books."
Otmazgin added, "After traveling through forests and along perilous roads for 12 hours, the eight people finally reached Kyiv and were taken to a safe location. It was a difficult and dangerous operation, but seeing the delight and relief on everyone's faces when they were finally rescued made it all worth while."