For many Ukrainian refugees and immigrants arriving in Israel, the journey does not end when they cross a border. In many ways, that is where a different kind of struggle begins.
They arrive carrying grief, uncertainty, and exhaustion from everything they have seen and left behind. Some have escaped cities shattered by war. Others have left family members behind, uncertain if or when they will see them again. Many come to Israel hoping for safety and a fresh start, only to discover that rebuilding life in a new country comes with its own challenges.
Learning a new language, finding housing and work, navigating financial hardship, and trying to create stability for their children can feel overwhelming enough on its own. Yet many Ukrainian families arriving in Israel have also found themselves stepping into another season of uncertainty here as well—living through security tensions, rocket sirens, and the emotional strain of war affecting daily life across the region.
For families already carrying trauma, trying to begin again while facing fresh instability can feel deeply exhausting.
Recently, at the humanitarian center in Nazareth, we spoke with a woman from Ukraine who has become part of the community surrounding Pastor Saleem’s ministry. Her words were simple, but deeply moving.
“The situation in Ukraine is bad,” she shared quietly. “War. People are being killed… I am just happy to be in Israel.”
Then, speaking about the humanitarian center, she added something even more powerful: “I came to pastor Saleem. I know he always helps.”
Sometimes the most meaningful testimonies are not long or polished. Sometimes they are found in small, honest words spoken by someone who has lived through pain and simply feels relieved to have found kindness waiting for them on the other side.
What touched us most was not only her gratitude for practical help, but her joy in discovering genuine acceptance and compassion. In a region often portrayed through the lens of division and conflict, she described feeling welcomed by both Arabs and Jews alike. She smiled as she spoke about the relationships she has experienced here and simply said, “Everything is wonderful… I just feel so good here.”
That sentence may sound small to some. But for someone carrying the trauma of war, displacement, and uncertainty, those words carry enormous weight.
This is exactly why the humanitarian outreach in Nazareth matters so much. Week after week, families arrive at the center looking for practical support: food, assistance, encouragement, friendship, and prayer. But often what impacts them most is something deeper than the aid itself. It is the feeling that they have not been forgotten. It is the realization that someone sees them, welcomes them, and cares about what they are walking through.
Scripture reminds us in Romans:
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12:13
Biblical hospitality is more than opening a door. It is creating a place where weary people can breathe again. A place where strangers become family. A place where compassion reveals the love of God in tangible ways.
That is what Pastor Saleem and the team continue building through this humanitarian ministry in Nazareth. For Ukrainian refugees and immigrants, this center has become far more than a place to receive help. It has become a place of stability during uncertain times. A place where conversations happen over coffee and food distribution. A place where burdens are shared. A place where hurting people encounter kindness instead of suspicion, dignity instead of shame, and hope instead of despair.
And in many cases, those relationships open the door for something eternal.
Again and again, we are reminded that practical compassion prepares the ground for spiritual truth. When people encounter genuine love in action, their hearts begin to open in ways that arguments and words alone often cannot.
This ministry continues because faithful friends like you choose to stand with the people of Israel during difficult times. Your support helps provide food, humanitarian assistance, care for immigrants and refugees, and ongoing outreach to vulnerable families who desperately need hope and stability. Most importantly, it helps create places where people wounded by war and hardship can encounter the love of God through His people.
Thank you for helping us continue extending compassion, dignity, and hope to Ukrainian families rebuilding their lives here in Israel. Together, we are reminding hurting people that even in the middle of uncertainty, they are not alone.