Long before Hanukkah in December, we and a friend prepared about a hundred Hanukkah gift packages that we wanted to take with us on our trip to Ukraine at the end of October. The packages consisted of hand-knitted Finnish wool socks and a large bar of chocolate.
On October 25th we set off from Vienna for the first stage to Oradea, where we stayed with a friend. In Budapest we added another 700 pairs of bamboo socks to our load. The Opel Vivaro’s loading capacity was almost exhausted because the largest and heaviest item was a hospital bed with mattresses and accessories that our late friend’s wife had given us. He was himself a hard-working development worker who traveled to Eastern Europe. He was particularly fond of children and provided us with sweets from local chocolate factories as well as a variety of other supplies such as diapers and clothing for adults. Now, after her husband’s death, it was his wife’s wish that the hospital bed her husband had been using should be brought to Ukraine. This wish was fulfilled and the bed is now available to patients at a Ukrainian military hospital.
After spending the night in Oradea, we both continued our journey towards the Ukrainian border. Since we intended to cross the border this time, we had carefully prepared our loading list in four languages: German, English, Ukrainian and Romanian – just in case. In the evening we reached the border and spent the night on the Romanian side. We chose a smaller border crossing where the queue is shorter. In fact, we were the first customers at the customs post early in the morning. Nevertheless, it took an hour until we got through customs and could continue our journey towards Chernivtsi. Immediately after the border crossing, the environment became more modest and the streets narrower. After less than an hour of driving, we arrived in the city of Chernivtsi.
We had two goals in Chernivtsi: the Jewish community and the New Family organization. First, we unloaded the donated goods at the “New Family” warehouse, which is located in a red brick building. At that moment the camp was almost empty, but new relief supplies were expected. All materials entering the country as relief goods must be handed over to the recipients within three months, otherwise they are considered commercial goods and are subject to tax. The car was unloaded with the usual speed and the hospital bed was transported by ambulance directly to the military hospital. We found that the logistics on site worked perfectly.
Our second destination in Chernivtsi was a Jewish community. We were warmly welcomed by the community’s rabbi. This man is very well known in Chernivtsi and beyond. He works tirelessly for the development of the Jewish community, promotes the revival of Jewish culture and tradition, and brings God’s light into this world – we could feel the rabbi’s love for his community members on a personal level. We were given a tour of the community facilities which are well used.
There are separate areas for children and teenagers with colorful decorations and a variety of activity options.
We gave the community lovingly made wool socks, sweets, 50 kg of coffee and a gift of money and also conveyed that behind these gifts of love are Christians who love the Jewish people with all their hearts. The gifts were accepted with gratitude. The rabbi thanks all donors and would like to greet them warmly.
Every day around a hundred people come to the community canteen to eat a warm meal. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch in the canteen: Ukrainian borscht soup with schnitzel and vegetables.
At lunchtime the canteen was still quite quiet, apart from a few families. However, since it was Friday, more and more people came in the afternoon to celebrate the start of Shabbat.
Delighted with everything we had seen and experienced, we set off on the long journey back. Even though the car was empty, it took another hour at the checkpoint before we could cross the border into Romania. We already knew that the border crossing would take place in several stages. The queue was long and we had to show our passports and vehicle documents at three places. In addition, the trunk of the car was checked to ensure that we were not smuggling anyone into Romania. There was more traffic in Romania, but the numerous construction sites also slowed down travel. It wasn’t until midnight that we arrived in Cluj Napoca, where we stayed overnight.
An unforgettable evening in Oradea
As we approached Oradea the next day we felt almost at home as a Hungarian program was playing on the radio. Our friend was informed of our imminent arrival and was already waving to us from his balcony. The evening was pleasant with a good meal and a subsequent tour of Oradea at night. One beautifully renovated building after another shone in the evening twilight.
We were impressed by the beauty of the city and the wonderful hospitality of our friend.
The trip left us with a good and grateful feeling. God’s protection was present and our steps were prepared one by one.
Thank you, friends, that together we can help the Jewish people and other people in need.
Anne and Hannu Ylitalo
(November, 2023)