Amid the Hamas War, Are Ukrainian Refugees in Israel ‘Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire?’

ABOVE: A rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza struck in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

ANALYSIS

Ukrainian refugees seeking safety in Israel suddenly find themselves in the middle of another brutal war.

Could it be a case of “out of the frying pan, into the fire?”

Remarkably, for Ukrainian Christians now living on the frontline of the Israel-Hamas war, this new “fire” is refining and strengthening their mettle, their resolve — and, indeed, their faith.

How?

At this very moment, members of Russian-speaking evangelical churches located near the Gaza Strip are defying the continuing rocket attacks on Israeli cities, such as Ashkelon, and risking their own safety to serve their traumatized and grief-stricken neighbors.

These local churches — birthed out of waves of Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union — are showing overwhelmed Israelis what it means to be followers of Jesus, the most loving and selfless Jewish person who ever lived.

Within hours of the first attacks on Israeli cities, members of local Russian-speaking congregations, including recent immigrants from Ukraine, were distributing groceries and providing hot meals for hundreds of Israelis hunkered down in their homes and bomb shelters.

Every day since, these believers have ventured out into their war-torn neighborhoods, checking on families, praying for them, delivering food, and sharing the Gospel — the Good News that many Jewish people have never even heard.

One local pastor and a church member — Ukrainian refugees — made sure all the women and children in their church were taken to a safe place. Then they returned to help and comfort their neighbors with nowhere to go, still living amid the ongoing terror of deadly rocket attacks.

Terrorists fire rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Courage in Israel’s Darkest Hour

These courageous church leaders have come from one war zone only to find God has placed them in another to be his hands and feet — and his witnesses — among their Jewish neighbors, as Israel faces its darkest hour in a generation.

Supported by our ministry, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA), Russian-speaking Jewish evangelical churches in Israel are showing they have the mettle and resolve to grasp this moment to bring the hope of the Gospel to God’s chosen people.

They’re starved of sleep, emotionally drained, under huge stress, and yet they’re living examples of Christ’s words to the Apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corin. 12:9, NKJV). The more they shine as lights in the darkness, the more evident it is that Christ — the Messiah — is giving them the strength to press on.

The life-sustaining ministry of these local churches will go on for as long as it takes — in fact, until the day the Messiah returns in glory to Israel. These established local congregations are part of the very fabric and fiber of their communities. And here they will remain.

Faith Like Gold

In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus ministered to the hurting in the towns and villages and “had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (verse 36).

His compassionate response?

To send his Church out into the “harvest field” — the community — to demonstrate and proclaim the love and grace of God.

What we’re witnessing in Israel right now is the compassion-driven Church living in the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength of Christ Jesus. Humble, local congregations willing to serve and sacrifice. Faithful pastors even willing to risk their lives for their suffering neighbors.

Yes, they’re “in the fire.” And their faith, tried and tested, is being revealed as pure gold.

— Michael Johnson is president of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org), an Illinois-based organization that has supported Russian-speaking Jewish immigrant evangelical churches in Israel for decades.