July 2024 Update

Over more than 20 years of experience working in a charity organization, we have seen many photos of disadvantaged children. However, the photo of Lilia and Nikita struck us not with deprivation, but with the boy’s strong attachment to his grandmother and his sense of security next to her. Look how tightly his children’s arms are wrapped around his grandmother, how convinced she is that she can protect him. They love each other very much and this mutual love gave them the strength to survive the terrible tragedy that happened in their lives.

A year ago, Lilia with her daughter and grandson Nikita had already arrived in Chisinau to make Aliyah after the consular check. But they did not pass the consular check: they did not have permission from Nikita’s father for his child to leave for Israel. They did not know that such permission was needed. They were shocked by this requirement. They decided to go back to Dnieper and prepare the necessary documents. The most offensive thing was that permission to take the child to Israel had to be taken from the person who abandoned them when Nikita was less than a year old. Nikita’s father never visited his son and did not provide any financial support. And now this scoundrel father needs to be asked to sign a document on Nikita’s removal to Israel. What an evil irony of fate, what injustice! But the requirements of the law cannot be ignored. But something completely unexpected happened: Nikita’s mother, a young woman, died suddenly. It was an absolutely tragic turn. After burying her daughter, Lilia realized that she would have a very difficult fight for her grandson and his future. It was necessary to deprive Nikita’s father of paternity rights through the court and arrange guardianship of his grandson. This required incredible efforts. And Lily won this battle. Her perseverance and inflexibility evoke incredible admiration. When we saw this photo of a young 50-year-old grandmother with her grandson, a feeling of admiration for her feat overwhelmed us, as well as a feeling of complete protection for her grandson. Soon they will leave for Israel. Let’s pray for them.