Navigating dual legacies: The impact of war on Ukrainian Israelis

“Support for Israel in Ukraine is high. There hasn’t been one pro-Palestinian demonstration in Ukraine since October 7"

By GIL LEWINSKY DECEMBER 17, 2024 16:56

Tel Aviv municipality illuminates its city hall with the Ukrainian flag to mark the 1000th day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (photo credit: REUTERS/NIR ELIAS)

Maksym Friedman is a 23-year-old strategic studies student at Reichman University in Herzliya. Originally an international student, he was forced to flee from Mariupol, Ukraine, and is now an Israeli citizen. His is no ordinary story.

His original surname was Shchepka, but it was changed to Friedman in honor of his paternal grandmother to strengthen his Jewish roots upon making aliyah. His mother tongue is Russian, but he has lived in the shadow of the Ukrainian language for most of his life. He was living in two worlds to the point that when he first visited Kyiv as a child, he thought he was “visiting abroad.”

Everything began to change in 2014 after the Maidan Revolution. Friedman reflected that in one of its meanings, maidan means “a place of meeting” in Cossack. And indeed, in a violent way, the worlds that were Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian speakers fused in one country met. Interested in studying in Kyiv at a prestigious university, Friedman became proficient in Ukrainian. Being in a front line city, he remembers his last lessons in middle school in Russian, hearing explosions from artillery. “I could soon tell which artillery were outside [Russian separatist] versus inside [Ukrainian], making me a good candidate for a child damaged psychologically by the conflict,” he said. The events accumulated to an event on January 24, 2015 when, while playing soccer with neighborhood children next to a no man’s land, Russian separatists launched BM-21 Grad rocket launchers at a building near them. “I just remember the earth shaking. I remember the explosions. That’s all,” he recounted.

He succeeded in his dream to attend university in Kyiv but also joined the Jewish Agency to be a madrich (counselor) in 2021. His first assignment was in Odessa, where he worked with the Jewish community. Being a Zionist, he knew his future was in Israel. “It was only a question of the right moment.” His grandmother made aliyah to Karmiel following the Maidan Revolution, pioneering the way for his immediate family to follow. This drive caused him to attend courses, which would alter the direction of his life path.

The Jewish Agency invited him to an international team-building Zimnik course for Eastern Europeans in Budapest for a summit between February 20-24, 2022, and sponsored the ticket. On the 24th, after a night of enjoying the festivities with participants, he returned to something horribly wrong.

“My team leader read silently on his phone a lot of sudden updates,” he said. “Kyiv under shelling, another city shelled. Western Ukraine. The Russian invasion has started. Seven direction invasion. My life forever changed, and I suddenly couldn’t go back to my home.”

He didn’t go home. He became a volunteer at the Israeli Cultural Center in Budapest, screening applicants and checking paperwork for aliyah visa applications. He eventually flew to Israel via Cyprus. His parents would join him in Israel after escaping the harrowing siege of Mariupol in April 2022, through a Russian airport.

Students in Ukraine. (credit: JRNU)

Life after October 7

When October 7 happened, he – a recent Israeli citizen – was hosting Ukrainian relatives, now a family splintered by the war in Ukraine. His relatives were in Jerusalem and Bethlehem that day as tourists and reflected on passionate Palestinian nationalism when reports of Hamas invading Israel surfaced. “The gates were closed. There was celebratory shooting into the air. The Arab bus driver was able to take them out of there,” he related.

As for Friedman, originally a business administration major, strategic studies became his calling. “I am now finishing my master’s degree in strategic studies. I am attempting to join the army. I wanted to dive much deeper into the Middle Eastern conflict. Why do we have enemies? I became much more interested in the topic. It wasn’t my choice to choose such things; rather, such things chose me. By studying more, I can put the issues into perspective,” he said.

ANNA ZHAROVA, CEO of the Israeli Friends of Ukraine NGO, has witnessed firsthand the profound effects of the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel on Ukrainian Israelis. Since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, and the state of war in Israel following the October 7 Hamas invasion, the Ukrainian community in Israel has mobilized in unprecedented ways.

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One striking difference, Zharova noted, was the active involvement of new immigrants in volunteer efforts. Many arrived in Israel with a strong desire to continue supporting Ukraine through humanitarian projects. Zharova recounted the story of a woman who fled from near Mariupol. “From the second day of her arrival, she joined our protest at Ben-Gurion Airport against the strict restrictions on Ukrainian refugees,” Zharova said. “By the following week, she became the head of the humanitarian center in Bat Yam, which was open until earlier this year.”

As the situation intensified in Israel following October 7, the organization shifted its focus to supporting the IDF. Every Friday, volunteers drive to the southern districts, providing essential supplies to soldiers stationed near Gaza. “New olim [immigrants] have joined us in preparing and distributing food,” Zharova explained. “We took part in refreshment stations where soldiers returning from Gaza can grab meals. The Ukrainian volunteers prepared traditional dishes like varenikes and blintzes, which soldiers have come to expect and appreciate.”

Beyond food distribution, Zharova’s organization has been fundraising for innovative products, such as the dry shower, an innovation for extended stints in the field. Originally developed in Ukraine, this product has become vital for troops enduring long periods away from home. “There is a significant demand for it,” Zharova said. “We see this as a way to connect our efforts here to the experiences of Ukrainian soldiers.”

For Zharova, the wars in Ukraine and Israel were interconnected. “For Ukrainians, there’s a different perspective on the conflict here,” she said. “Adults often feel safer due to the Iron Dome, but children are suffering from PTSD and anxiety triggered by air raid sirens and explosions, which causes them to remember traumatic experiences from Ukraine.”

Zharova emphasized that both wars are rooted in similar aggressions. “The same UAVs harming us here are sold to Russia by Iran,” she said. “To us, it feels like the same fight against an enemy that seeks to harm civilian populations.”

This shared experience has fostered a sense of solidarity among Ukrainian Israelis, who see their activism as not just support for Israel but also a way to assist Ukraine. Additionally, many families are now divided across two fronts, intensifying the emotional toll.

Zharova recounted stories of individuals whose relatives are fighting in both wars. “A man from Donetsk Oblast has immigrated to Israel, while his nephew continues to serve in the Ukrainian army,” she said. “Another’s son is serving in the IDF. This duality illustrates the close connection between the two conflicts.”

The response from the Ukrainian community also highlights a cultural shift. Zharova noted that the increasing use of the Ukrainian language in Israel signified a growing identity among new arrivals. “There are more events conducted in Ukrainian rather than Russian, reflecting the demand from newer immigrants,” she explained. However, this creates challenges for earlier immigrants who may not be fluent in Ukrainian, complicating their participation in community activities.

Zharova pointed out a surge in Ukrainian cultural organizations since the 2022 Russian invasion. “Many groups formed in response to earlier conflicts, but since 2022 we’ve seen over 20 new charities established to support Ukraine,” she said. These organizations have become platforms for cultural expression, from book clubs discussing Ukrainian literature to Ukrainian film screenings with Hebrew subtitles.

Presenting the intertwining of the conflicts, Israeli Friends of Ukraine premiered a documentary Parallels: Beyond Borders directed by Daria Nor on October 31 at Tel Aviv University. The film includes more than 30 interviews with Israeli and Ukrainian leaders. Initially, the film was intended to highlight the efforts of supporting Ukrainians following Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. However, after October 7, the film took on a broader context, highlighting the shared fate of the Ukrainian and Israeli people. The documentary’s final version will include English subtitles and will be available on YouTube and the website israfriends.org.

From August 24, which was Ukrainian Independence Day, until November 5, the Ukrainian Cultural Center in north Tel Aviv showcased an exhibition titled “Refugees for a Second Time.” The exhibition featured stories of Ukrainians whose lives were turned upside down from both the Russian invasion and the October 7 attacks. “We left one war and arrived at another war. With all the difficulties we went through along the way, we are at least happy we managed to keep our family together” was a quote that stood out, by Lidia and Alexei Bychkov, originally from Kharkiv, expressing the overall sentiment.

At the exhibition, Yevgen Korniychuk explained the transformation he witnessed firsthand during his four-year tenure as Ukrainian ambassador to Israel. “It’s a very different Ukraine now,” he said. “Even with restaurants open in Kyiv, the mood of the people and the look in their eyes have changed dramatically. After nearly 1,000 days of conflict, we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The October 7 attacks in Israel further illustrate this shared experience. “Both nations are confronting a common adversary,” he stated, drawing parallels between the threats posed by Iran and Russia. “For Israelis, Iran and its proxies are a primary concern, while Russia has become a significant supporter of those proxies.”

The ambassador emphasized that historical ties between the two communities run deep. Many of the early Ashkenazi immigrants to Israel came from Ukraine. Figures such as Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who hailed from Odessa, symbolize this connection, and the streets of Kyiv are named after notable Jewish figures, illustrating the intertwined histories. “We are working to strengthen these connections further,” he added.

Korniychuk also highlighted the strength of the Jewish community in Ukraine during these trying times. “Ukraine remains one of the safest countries in Europe for Jews, and the community is robust and diverse,” he asserted. The support extends to civil society. “Support for Israel in Ukraine is high. There hasn’t been one pro-Palestinian demonstration in Ukraine since October 7,” he stated.

Additionally, he said, both nations understand the trauma of war. “We know what it feels like to wake up to explosions and burnt homes, perhaps more than what you’ve experienced in Israel,” he said.

As Israel and Ukraine continue to face their respective challenges, the ambassador expressed a desire for more collaboration, which he felt was not strong enough. “Our nations are fighting against the same axis – Iran, Russia, North Korea, and economically by China,” he said. “We can achieve more together, and it’s vital for political leaders to recognize this opportunity for deeper partnerships.”■