On February 24, 2026 — the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Israel announced a practical and timely step of support: the transfer of 117 mobile generators to the Kyiv region.

The announcement was made by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar during a phone call with Rabbi Meir Stambler, chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine (FJCU). According to the official statement, the decision followed Sa’ar’s discussions with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha regarding the difficult energy situation in the region.

This is the kind of aid that matters immediately. Mobile generators are not symbolic. They help communities keep essential services running during outages and instability — heating, lighting, local facilities, and basic emergency resilience.

But the conversation between Sa’ar and Rabbi Stambler was not only about generators.

Sa’ar also asked about the current situation in Ukraine and the condition of Jewish communities across the country, and he conveyed greetings ahead of the upcoming holiday of Purim. In wartime, that detail is not secondary. It reflects a broader kind of support — one that combines diplomacy, humanitarian concern, and continued attention to Jewish communal life.

Rabbi Stambler thanked Sa’ar for his support, solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and attention to the local Jewish community. He said that this position gives people strength — and in a prolonged war, that is not a cliché. It is part of what helps communities endure.

Stambler also said that the Federation had distributed Purim holiday packages across Ukraine, including Scrolls of Esther translated into Ukrainian, so that Jews throughout the country could observe the holiday’s mitzvot and experience joy even under difficult conditions.

He further thanked Sa’ar for establishing the J50 forum, which brings together leaders of Jewish communities from around the world, and emphasized the importance of the minister’s efforts in relation to the Jewish diaspora.

One of the most important parts of the exchange, however, was Stambler’s emphasis that despite the hardships, he and his colleagues — rabbis and Chabad emissaries — remain determined to stay in Ukraine.

That is more than an emotional statement. It is a strategy of presence.

When community leaders remain on the ground, they preserve what might be called an infrastructure of trust: there is someone to organize help, gather people, support the elderly, coordinate holiday and humanitarian efforts, and maintain continuity in moments when continuity itself becomes fragile.

For the Kyiv region, the shipment of 117 generators is a concrete resource in a critical sector.

For Israel, it is also a signal — that support for Ukraine can be practical, targeted, and connected not only to state diplomacy but also to the lived reality of communities on the ground.

In a news cycle dominated by military updates and geopolitical headlines, this kind of development may seem modest.

It is exactly how resilience is sustained: one delivery, one phone call, one community network at a time.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)