Father-of-10 from north London rescues 1,000 Jewish refugees
Britain’s angel of Kiev: Father-of-10 aid worker from north London rescues 1,000 Jewish refugees including 270 orphans from Ukraine war by flying them out in the face of Russian shelling
- At least 1000 Ukrainian war refugees have been saved by British father-of-10
- Jeremy Posen, 53, ‘rescued babies only a few weeks old’ and diabetic children
- Mr Posen has worked for the charity Tikva for the last three years in Ukraine
- When Russia invaded two weeks ago, the aid workers made the decision to leave
A British aid worker from North London has bravely rescued more than 1,000 Jewish war refugees from Ukraine following Vladimir Putin’s lawless invasion of the country – including 270 orphans.
Jeremy Posen, 53, ‘rescued babies who were only a few weeks old’ and ‘diabetic children reliant on insulin’ in the city of Odessa, which has faced horrific missiles and gunfire from Russian troops who have tried to take the city.
Mr Posen has worked as the chief financial officer for the charity Tikva for the last three years in Ukraine, which cares for the homeless abandoned and abused Jewish children of the country.
But, after Russia invaded two weeks ago and they ‘heard the first bomb’, the father-of-ten went on a huge rescue mission to save the lives of thousands of refugees.
A British aid worker from North London has bravely rescued more than 1,000 Jewish war refugees from Ukraine (pictured) following Vladimir Putin’s lawless invasion of the country – including 270 orphans
Mr Posen has worked as the chief financial officer for the charity Tikva for the last three years in Ukraine, which cares for the homeless abandoned and abused Jewish children of the country
Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle, Mr Posen, whose wife and younger children live in Israel, said: ‘In my head, I didn’t really believe Russia would invade but we took the threat very seriously, and I thought: “Ok, we’ll make sure we have food to last three months and reserves of cash, and if we don’t need it immediately, we can still use it over time.” It was vital to have a plan.’
The crossing was extremely complex with many last minute scares and took ten hours longer than expected due to road blocks and military having to check paperwork.
Mr Posen added: ‘That first drive took more than 28 hours and it was very hairy. I knew we were doing the right thing because Odessa was likely to be attacked, but we could see shelling in the distance.
‘We were held up at countless roadblocks, where the police and soldiers were coming on to the buses to check everyone and their papers. With so many young kids, it was quite tense.’
The charity and Mr Posen managed to move the group from the Tikva community in Odessa and get passage to Moldova into Romania – they confirmed everyone on the buses is now safe. Pictured: One of the children on the convoy out of Ukraine
Mr Posen said: ‘That first drive took more than 28 hours and it was very hairy. I knew we were doing the right thing because Odessa was likely to be attacked, but we could see shelling in the distance. Pictured: One of the children on the convoy out of Ukraine
Some children dealt with the arduous journey by producing artwork, such as a painted banner saying ‘I miss my bed’, ‘pray for us’ and another reading ‘no war’.
But Mr Posen says he doesn’t believe they’ll ever see the items they left behind in the refuge following Putin’s invasion.
He added: ‘We don’t know if we’ll ever see what we left behind again. I didn’t even have a suitcase – all I had was hand luggage. I’ve had to find second-hand clothes, old T-shirts in rural charity shops.’
The charity and Mr Posen managed to move the group from the Tikva community in Odessa and get passage to Moldova into Romania – they confirmed everyone on the buses is now safe.
Mr Posen, who has remained in Western Ukraine to help more war refugees reach safety, said: ‘Whilst obviously elated about all the members of our community, and the children of our orphanages we have managed to rescue, we continue to worry and care for all those left behind here.
The crossing from Odessa to Moldova was extremely complex with many last minute scares and took ten hours longer than expected due to road blocks and military having to check paperwork. Pictured: Children on the convoy out of Ukraine
‘People have been joining us from all parts of Ukraine, on an almost hourly basis. Vacant beds are being filled and we will not rest or leave until every remaining person reaches safety.’
In a statement, the charity told MailOnline: ‘Jeremy Posen, our CFO, remains together with Rabbi Baksht in Western Ukraine, along with another 200 people, including the families from our community that fled with us from Odessa and additional families from Odessa and elsewhere who have joined us throughout the week. They will attempt a border crossing and hopefully join the rest of the group some time next week.
‘Whilst this is news a huge relief, there is still a long road ahead. The costs involved in the crossing itself and the logistics surrounding that have been astronomical. We continue to rely on your generous support in order to be able to save lives.’
CEO of Tikva Odessa in Ukraine, Refael Kruskal added: ‘There was never a question of splitting our children up. Being all refugees, they wanted to stay as a group. There was also never a question of who out of the staff was going to cross, and who was going to stay. Tikva is about saving lives, and we have given up our personal life to help these children. They are like our own. They are our family.’
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