In October 2026, 32 teenagers from various cities in Ukraine went to study in Israel. They are expected to spend several years away from their parents, learn Hebrew, and receive an Israeli secondary education. The journey went through Moldova: civilian planes from Ukraine have not flown since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
Author: Pavel Shveiko, NANews
Assistance with transportation and airline tickets was provided by the Ukrainian charitable foundation “Christians for Israel — Ukraine“. Its name may surprise: why is a Christian organization involved in relocating Jewish children to Israel?
The answer is related to the international movement Christians for Israel, which originated in the Netherlands almost half a century ago. Its participants are convinced that the return of Jews to their historical homeland corresponds to biblical prophecies, and helping this return is a religious duty of Christians.
The story of 32 teenagers allows us to understand what this movement is, how it operates in Ukraine, what relationships it has with Israeli institutions, and what exactly its participants understand by supporting the Jewish people.
Vinnytsia, parents, bus to Moldova
On October 22, 2026, the trip was reported by the Ukrainian foundation “Christians for Israel — Ukraine”. According to their information, 32 teenagers passed a competitive selection and testing to participate in the Naale program. The organization helped them get to the Chisinau airport and purchase airline tickets.
Details became known from the report “With Tears and Hope — to Israel”, published on October 16, 2026, by the Dutch movement Christenen voor Israël.
The author of the report, Alfred, personally accompanied the group. He writes that the children were about fourteen years old and came from different regions of Ukraine.
In Kyiv, the escorts met several teenagers with their parents. One girl brought a suitcase, a guitar, and a large soft toy. The toy did not fit in the luggage and remained in her hands.
Then the participants gathered in Vinnytsia. There they were to spend the last night with their parents. In the hotel, Jewish Agency staff checked the documents.
Alfred met a boy named Renat. He came from eastern Ukraine and was going to study in Netanya. His brother already lives in Israel.
Renat’s mother said that her relatives remained in the combat zone and she cannot visit them. Now her son is leaving too. The woman was deeply affected by the separation but believed that it was better for the boy to get an education in Israel.
Another participant in the trip, Lev, was heading to Jerusalem. His 22-year-old sister had already completed the Naale program and stayed in Israel. Lev himself also intends to continue living here. According to him, his parents would like to join him after the war ends.
These are the personal plans of two families, not evidence of the intentions of all program participants.
After the overnight stay in Vinnytsia, the children said goodbye to their parents. The bus headed to the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. According to the escort, the border procedures took about two hours. From the Moldovan airport, the group flew to Israel.
Alfred reports that the children arrived around three in the morning.
What is Naale: an Israeli school without parents moving
Naale, or NA’ALE, is an Israeli state educational program. Its Hebrew name נעל״ה is an acronym for the phrase “Noar Ole Lifnei Horim” — “Youth immigrates before parents”.
The program has been operating since 1992. It appeared after the collapse of the USSR when many Jewish families were considering moving to Israel, but not all parents could or wanted to immediately leave their country of residence.
Naale allowed sending the child for education first, and the decision about the future of the whole family could be made later.
Today, participation is available to teenagers from different countries who have the right to immigrate under the Israeli Law of Return. This law applies not only to Jews according to the religious definition but also, under certain conditions, to some categories of their descendants and spouses.
For the 2026/27 academic year, the Israeli side set exact age limits for admission to the ninth and tenth grades. The general age range is approximately 13–16 years, but the final decision depends on the date of birth and the grade of admission.
The education lasts three or four years. Teenagers live in boarding schools and youth villages, which in Israel are called kfar noar.
These are educational complexes where children not only attend classes but also live under the supervision of educators. Psychological, counseling, and pedagogical assistance is provided.
Applicants undergo knowledge checks, psychological testing, and interviews. Parents also participate in the selection process and sign an agreement.
On the official page of admission rules, it is emphasized that specialists must ensure the teenager’s readiness for a long separation from the family.
After arrival, children study Hebrew and school subjects. The goal is to obtain a Bagrut, an Israeli matriculation certificate, which is necessary for admission to many higher education institutions in the country.
The program is funded by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Jewish Agency “Sokhnut”.
For readers unfamiliar with the structure of Israeli institutions: “Sokhnut” is a public organization historically engaged in assisting Jewish immigration and a number of educational and integration programs. The name itself comes from the Hebrew word “sokhnut” — agency.
Education, accommodation, meals, insurance, and expenses provided by the program are paid for by the Israeli side.
At the same time, the official international Naale website lists two one-time payments: $700 for the application and $1,400 after enrollment. These are the rates published in October 2025. Whether they were fully applied to the current Ukrainian group and whether there were exceptions cannot be determined from open reports.
The initial flight to Israel is already included in the official program funding. Therefore, additional information is needed to understand what specific transportation costs the Ukrainian foundation covered.
Participation in Naale does not automatically mean obtaining Israeli citizenship. After school, a graduate can choose further education, immigration, or returning to the family.
Who are “Christians for Israel — Ukraine”
The Ukrainian foundation does not engage in educating children in Israel. Its work is primarily related to helping Jewish families in Ukraine.
On the official website of the Ukrainian representation, it talks about supporting immigrants, transportation, document preparation, and humanitarian aid.
One of the founders of the Ukrainian foundation is Koen Carlier. Since 2004, he has coordinated the assistance program for immigrants. Together with him, his wife Ira and a local team of employees and volunteers have been working in Ukraine for many years.
Carlier describes the organization’s activities in a material about the foundation’s work after three years of full-scale war. In addition to accompanying immigration, employees deliver food packages to those in need.
Preparation for moving to Israel can be lengthy. Jewish families need to gather documents, confirm the right to immigrate, undergo checks, and resolve numerous household issues.
Sometimes they have to travel to Kyiv several times. In its publications, the organization talks about providing temporary accommodation for people who are forced to stay in the city while processing documents.
After February 2022, the transportation problem was added. It is impossible to fly out of Ukraine on a regular civilian flight. Families reach airports in neighboring countries, including Moldova.
The foundation organizes buses, accompanies people, and helps solve problems that arise on the road.
Such activities are carried out in cooperation with the Jewish Agency but do not replace its powers. The verification of the right to immigrate and the processing of relevant procedures remain with the authorized Israeli structures.
Assistance is also funded by donations from movement supporters from the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries.
NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency
Christians for Israel: an organization founded in the Netherlands
Behind the Ukrainian foundation is the international movement Christians for Israel International.
It originated in the Netherlands in 1979. Among the people who stood at its origins was entrepreneur Karel van Oordt. The initial activity combined practical support for Israel with spreading among Christians the belief that God continues to maintain a special connection with the Jewish people.
Over time, national organizations appeared in other countries.
Today, Christians for Israel calls itself an interdenominational movement and reports more than 150,000 supporters. These are the organization’s own data.
The movement is not a separate church. Its participants belong to different Christian communities but share a certain understanding of Israel’s role in biblical history.
They hold lectures and conferences, publish religious materials, organize trips to Israel, help needy Jewish families, and assist in immigration.
The organization defines itself as non-political. However, its activities include public support for Israel and opposition to anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Therefore, its statements may touch on political issues, although the central basis of its mission is considered religion.
A feature of Christians for Israel is the idea that Christian churches historically made a serious mistake when they stopped perceiving the Jewish people as maintaining their own place in God’s plan.
Why a Christian organization considers it necessary to help Jews
In this matter, theology is of key importance.
In the history of Christianity, there was the idea that after the emergence of the Church, the biblical promises given to the people of Israel passed to Christians.
This view is commonly called replacement theology. In different Christian traditions, it had various forms and consequences.
Christians for Israel rejects it.
Supporters of the movement are convinced that God did not cancel the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants. According to their understanding, the Jewish people still occupy a special place in the history described by the Bible.
In the “Twelve Theses of Faith about Israel”, published by the movement, it is explicitly stated that the Church did not replace Israel, and God’s promises to the Jewish people remain valid.
The seventh thesis concerns historical anti-Semitism. The organization calls on Christian churches to repent for the persecution of Jews committed in their name and believes that such repentance should be expressed in concrete actions.
The eighth thesis directly explains the assistance to immigrants.
In it, the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel is seen as the beginning of the final redemption, and other nations are given the responsibility to assist in this return.
The most important biblical basis is the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 22. It contains the image of nations helping to return the sons and daughters of Israel.
Participants in Christians for Israel understand this prophecy as relevant to modern events.
Here it is necessary to distinguish between historical fact and religious interpretation. The relocation of Jews from Ukraine to Israel can be documented. The assertion that this fulfills a biblical prophecy is a belief of the faithful, not a fact subject to historical verification.
For the Israeli reader, another explanation is important.
The book of Isaiah is part of the Tanakh, the sacred writings of Judaism. Christians recognize these texts as part of their Bible, calling the corresponding corpus of books the Old Testament.
But the commonality of the ancient text does not mean unity in its interpretation. Judaism and Christianity significantly differ in their views on the Messiah, final redemption, and the role of Jesus.
In Christians for Israel, these texts are read precisely within the framework of Christian faith.
Thus, when foundation employees organize a bus for Jewish families, they see their work in two dimensions at once. It is assistance to specific people who need transport and support, and at the same time, the practical implementation of a religious vocation.
Christian Zionism: what it is and whether all Christians agree with it
The views of Christians for Israel belong to the broad direction known as Christian Zionism.
Its unifying feature is the recognition of the special significance of Israel and the return of Jews to their historical homeland based on a Christian reading of the Bible.
However, Christian Zionism is not a single denomination. Its supporters may differ in theological issues, attitudes towards the modern Israeli state, and future religious events.
Not all Christian churches accept these views. Among theologians, there are debates about whether to directly link biblical promises with the modern state of Israel, created in 1948.
Christians for Israel itself has its own position, expressed in program documents. It includes belief in the ongoing covenant of God with the Jewish people, the significance of Jerusalem, and the future messianic kingdom.
The tenth thesis speaks of the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of his kingdom. This is a Christian expectation that cannot be equated with the traditional Jewish understanding of the messianic era.
In Israeli society, another question naturally arises: is such charity associated with attempts to convert Jews to Christianity?
The historical caution of Jewish communities towards missionary activity has grounds. It is connected with the centuries-old history of Christian-Jewish relations, including persecution and forced conversion to Christianity.
Christians for Israel openly declares its Christian faith but describes helping Jewish families primarily as fulfilling the duty to support Israel and the Jewish people.
In the studied reports about the trip of 32 Ukrainian teenagers, there is no information about religious requirements for participants or attempts to convert children to Christianity.
The absence of such information does not prove that no religious activity is conducted anywhere. But attributing missionary actions to a specific foundation without confirmation is also not possible.
What Koen Carlier told parents before sending the children
On the eve of the teenagers’ departure to Israel, Koen Carlier spoke to the trip participants and their parents.
This episode is detailed in Alfred’s October report.
Carlier explained that, according to his understanding of the Bible, Jewish families scattered around the world will return to Israel, and representatives of other nations should help them in this.
He then thanked the staff and volunteers involved in organizing the trip.
This testimony is particularly revealing. The religious motivation of the benefactors was not hidden and did not require guesses. The head of the foundation directly explained it to the families.
But for the parents, quite earthly concerns were paramount.
They were sending fourteen-year-old children to another country for three years. Some were worried about the war and constant air raids. Some hoped to later move to the child. Others, probably, primarily counted on a good school and the opportunity to continue education.
The presence of religious motivation among the foundation’s employees does not mean that it is shared by the families receiving assistance.
What this story means for Israel and Ukraine
For Israel, the Naale program has long been one of the ways to integrate young people from Jewish diaspora families.
Teenagers come without parents, learn the language, receive education, get acquainted with the local society, and gain experience of independent living.
Some graduates stay in Israel. Others return home or continue their studies abroad.
Participation in Naale also does not mean that the child will necessarily become an Israeli citizen immediately upon arrival. Migration status and further acquisition of citizenship are regulated separately.
For Ukraine, history is associated with the long-term consequences of war.
Air raids, shelling, disruptions to normal school life, and uncertainty affect parents’ decisions. Sending a child away for several years is often seen as an opportunity to provide them with a stable education, even if the family is forced to live separately.
At the same time, it cannot be said that there are no military threats in Israel. Israelis are well aware of what rocket attacks, shelters, and interruptions in classes due to emergencies are.
The difference lies in the specific conditions of education and family circumstances, not in the existence of a country completely protected from conflicts.
There is also an international aspect to this story.
The Dutch Christian movement helps Ukrainian Jewish families take advantage of the Israeli educational program. Money and volunteers come from different countries, and organizational work is carried out in cooperation with the Jewish Agency.
However, the participation of the Christian fund does not make Naale a religious Christian project. The content of education and the organization of schools are determined by Israeli educational institutions.
Who paid for the trip is still unknown.
The Ukrainian fund stated that it helped purchase plane tickets and organize the road through Moldova.
At the same time, the official conditions of Naale provide for the payment of the initial flight to Israel.
From open sources, it is not yet possible to determine which expenses were covered by the fund, which by the program itself, and whether there were separate agreements for Ukrainian participants.
This circumstance requires clarification, but it does not in itself indicate financial violations.
There is also no reason to believe that all the children arrived in Israel with the same legal status or have already decided on permanent residence in the country.
Published information allows us to talk about an educational relocation that took place, but not about the future fate of each participant.
Why this trip is worth telling about.
In recent years, the assistance to Ukrainian refugees, repatriates, and Jewish communities caught in the conditions of war has been repeatedly discussed in Israel.
The story of 32 teenagers draws attention to a lesser-known part of this work — the participation of foreign Christian organizations.
Christians for Israel does not hide its beliefs. The movement views the Jewish people as maintaining a special place in the biblical plan, rejects replacement theology, and considers the return of Jews to Israel a religiously significant event.
For the participants of the movement, this is a sufficient reason to help Jewish families for years, organize transportation, and collect donations.
The Israeli society does not necessarily have to share such a Christian reading of the Bible to understand the motives of the benefactors and evaluate the results of their work.
For the parents of the 32 teenagers, the decisive factor was the children’s education and the opportunity to arrange their future. For the staff of Christians for Israel, the same trip also had spiritual significance.
Now the children are already in Israel. They will have to learn to live without daily parental support, master Hebrew, and complete the school program.
Whether they will stay here after graduation is still unknown.
But the very fact of their arrival is well documented. And equally well documented is the explanation given by Christian benefactors for their activities: they believe that helping the Jewish people is a duty imposed on them by their own faith.
