.svg)
As 11-year olds, Maria from Mariupol and Yevgenya from Kharkov bonded at a Jewish summer camp in their native Ukraine.
“We kept in touch as occasional pen pals,” said Maria.
When war struck, both young women made aliyah with their families in 2023.
“But my father had to stay behind because he was drafted into the army,” said Yevgenya, her eyes tearing.
Maria is now a 12th-grader at Hadassah Neurim Youth Village, and Yevgenya is in her final year of studies at Meir Shfeyah Youth Village.
The pair hugged tightly as they reunited in Ben Gurion Airport, both bound for the annual Poland trip, funded by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.
Four youth villages are participating in this year’s experience. Students from Kiryat Ye’arim, near Jerusalem, and Ben Shemen, close to Ben Gurion Airport, have joined up with their peers from Meir Shfeyah and Hadassah Neurim for the week-long study mission.
