Four Holocaust Survivors Rescued Under Fire in Kyiv by Israeli Charity Group

Four elderly Holocaust survivors were rescued from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv last week by an Israeli charity organization, the Walla news site reported.

The survivors — all in their 80s — were brought to the Israeli field hospital in Mostyska, in western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, in an operation organized by Yad Ezer L’Haver.

Three will now immigrate to Israel, while the fourth plans to go to Germany.

Natalia, 82, is among those set to fly to the Jewish state. She said, “We’ve been through so much, I couldn’t believe the State of Israel would do so much to save us. Seventy years ago, there was no one to save us and take care of us like now.”

However, Natalia also expressed regret over the need to leave her native country.

“We experienced so much suffering here. But this is my home. How will I move to another country at my age?”

Sofia, 89, who as a child survived the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, said, “My daughter is waiting for me in Germany. I hope to see her soon.”

Meanwhile, Yazek, 86, was excited to rejoin his family in Israel.

“I’ve lived so long separated from my family,” he said. “It’s time to reunite, even if just for a short period of time. In a sense, I feel like I’m coming back home.”

The fourth survivor in the group, an 86-year-old woman also named Natalia, lost her entire family when she was six in the September 1941 Babyn Yar massacre, which she survived by hiding in a hole in the ground.

Shimon, one of the Yad Ezer L’Haver volunteers involved in the operation, “We rescued four people, under fire,” he said. “We are trying to prevent them from going through this terror for the second time, and let them finish their lives in dignity.”

Watch a video of the operation here: