LOVES PARK, Ill., March 31, 2026 /Christian Newswire/ — In an extraordinary display of unity, Russian and Ukrainian Christians in Israel have come together to help families affected by Iran’s ongoing missile and drone attacks.
Russian and Ukrainian Christians living in Israel — including recent immigrants and descendants of immigrants — have set aside the “elephant in the room,” the war in Ukraine, to launch a joint grassroots aid effort in their communities.
They are hand-delivering groceries and other supplies — and bringing hope — to desperate families in several Israeli cities targeted by Iran and its proxies.
Families with young children are having to run to bomb shelters in the middle of the night as sirens wail overhead.
“There is tension in the air,” said Pavel, pastor of a local Ukrainian church. “People are ready at any moment to run to the nearest shelter. If the sirens go off several times during the night, it becomes very hard to carry sleeping children back and forth. The next day, people are exhausted.”
Pastor Pavel’s church, along with more than a dozen other Ukrainian and Russian evangelical churches in Israel, receives support from Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA).
His congregation delivers food packages to people like Anya, a young mother who carries a heavy burden. She is unable to work, and her baby suffers from a serious health problem. “I’m so grateful for this help,” she said.
“At times like this, it’s very encouraging to realize that we are not alone, and that Christians from different countries are praying for us and blessing us,” Pastor Pavel added.
A Nation of Slavic Immigrants
Many people “don’t realize that around 20% of Israelis are descended from Russian and Ukrainian Jewish immigrants,” said Eric Mock, SGA’s senior vice president of ministry operations. “Many are first generation immigrants, others second or third generation, and nearly all of them speak Russian.”
The ministry comes alongside Russian and Ukrainian congregations in several Israeli cities, providing support for pastors, Bible training, children’s summer Bible camps, Christmas outreaches, and aid to families, the elderly, and widows.
“These faithful churches are joined in one mission and one heart,” said Mock, a frequent visitor to Israel. “Whether they’re Ukrainians or Russians, they support each other.”
Differences that could divide them are swept aside by their “shared faith and love for Christ,” he added.
“They’re united in their passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
References
Founded in 1934, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) helps “forgotten” orphans, widows and families in Ukraine, Russia, the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel – caring for their physical needs and sharing the life-transforming Gospel. SGA supports an extensive grassroots network of local evangelical missionary pastors and churches in cities and rural villages across this vast region.
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