By ICEJ Staff Writers

For the past three years, Israel has seen a rising tide of Jewish immigration from Europe. The push factors are rising antisemitism, and the pull factors are opportunity and religious freedom to live as Jews in their own homeland. Our work has been mainly in France, Germany, Great Britain and the Baltic States. For over fifteen years, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has stood with the Jewish communities of the Baltic States—Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.

Our mission is clear and unwavering: to help Jewish families, often disconnected from their roots by history, rediscover their heritage, embrace their God-given identity and confidently embark on the journey home to Israel. This commitment has been translated into tangible, life-changing support, enabling hundreds to make Aliyah and build a new future in their ancestral homeland.

The prophet Jeremiah declared that a day would come when God would bring His scattered people home “from the land of the north and from all the countries” where He had driven them (Jeremiah 16:15). For decades, we at the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem have witnessed this ancient promise unfolding before our eyes—nowhere more poignantly than among the Jewish communities of the Baltic States.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, it triggered one of the most significant Jewish demographic shifts of the late twentieth century. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and their descendants—people whose Jewish identity had been stamped on their Soviet passports, yet who often knew little about what that identity truly meant—found themselves scattered across Europe. Today, many of these families live in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as in Germany and Poland. For more than fifteen years, ICEJ has been working among these communities, helping them reconnect with their heritage, rediscover their identity and take their first steps toward a new life in Israel.

In 2025 alone, our support assisted hundreds of people through transportation, accommodation, educational programs and Aliyah support. Behind that number are real stories: teenagers discovering what it means to be Jewish, families preparing to move to Israel and young leaders being equipped to inspire the next generation.

One of our most important investments is developing young Jewish leaders known as madrichim. These young leaders are not mere camp counsellors—they are educational guides trained to strengthen Jewish identity and Zionist values. In February, we sponsored transportation for 30 young people to a training seminar in Latvia as part of a four-month Jewish Agency Leadership Institute program. Participants came from Latvia, Estonia and Germany, including Ukrainian Jewish refugees who wanted to give back after attending previous camps themselves. By May, another 45 participants gathered for the annual Madrichim Conference in Saulkrasti, Latvia, focusing on Israel, Jewish identity after October 7th and how to engage the next generation.

Throughout 2025, the ICEJ enabled many young people to experience their heritage first-hand. In April, 37 participants embarked on a three-day educational tour called “Jewish Estonia” during Pesach, visiting Tallinn, Tartu and Narva to trace the footsteps of once-vibrant Jewish communities. Summer brought even more activity: in June, we assisted 116 people, including families travelling to Vilnius for Naale testing, plus 112 participants at a week-long summer camp exploring the theme “Which Jew am I?”—drawing on Avraham Infeld’s model of Jewish identity.

The work continued through the summer months, with 160 children attending Jewish Agency day camps in Jurmala, Latvia, discovering Jewish heritage through theatre, ecology, sports and stories of Tikkun Olam. In September, 88 participants gathered for the Y-Bridge Seminar in Vilnius, bringing together teens and families from Germany, Finland, Ukraine and the Baltics for Shabbat celebrations and creative workshops. The year closed with 92 participants at the Winter Camp in Saulkrasti, exploring “The Secrets of the Jewish Home”—learning about Shabbat, communal responsibility and pathways to Israel through programs like Naale, Sela and Taglit.

For many Jews in Europe, Israel remains their guaranteed option—a safe harbour in the storm. Through many years of Aliyah work in the Baltic States, the ICEJ has helped build something remarkable: a growing community of young Jewish leaders, families reconnected to their heritage and individuals empowered to make Aliyah. Your support makes this work possible—from the transportation that brings people together to the camps and seminars that shape hearts and minds.

Because of faithful Christians standing with Israel, Jewish futures are being built across Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Together, we continue the sacred work of bringing them home from the Land of the North. Support Aliyah today.

Cover Photo Credit: JAFI