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On the threshold – The story of the Didkovski Family – part 1

editor - 3 February 2016

This is the beginning of the fellowship with an Olim family (Jewish immigrants to Israel). We invite you to follow their story together with us!

“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the L-rd: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the L-rd, “from this time forth and forevermore” Isaiah 59:21

The family of Sergey and Tatyana Didkovski now lives in Zhitomir, Central Ukraine. About a year ago they made an important decision, namely to make Aliyah (immigrate to Israel). Sergey is 46 years old, he is a former police officer. Tatyana is 40, she is a bank accountant. Their son Dima is 17 years old, daughter Nastya is 15 years old. Ten years ago the Didkovski family started to think about Aliyah. The initiator was Tatyana and it took her years to convince her husband. In Ukraine they left Tatyana’s mother who works for a Jewish charity organization called “Hesed Shmuel”.

In a month’s time the Didkovski family will leave by plane with a one way ticket to Israel. All the paperwork, which takes about half a year in Ukraine, is done for them. The seats in the plane are booked, the big date is already set – the 16th of February, 2016 will be their last day in exile and their first day in the Promised Land.

From the life of a settled family in Zhitomir they are going to a completely new life in their “First Home in the Homeland”. Their first home will be located in the South of Israel, in the Eshkol region, in the kibbutz which is situated a few kilometers from the Gaza strip.
Sergey and Tatyana, both in their forties will become students again. They are going to start an intensive 5(month)-5(hours a day)-5(days a week) Hebrew course. Dima and Nastya will study in a private youth village in the center of the country. They are excited and scared at the same time. What will the independent life be like, when mother doesn’t wake you up every morning and doesn’t make your packed lunch? Dima and Nastya will come home only at the weekend.

Now their days are filled with packing, wrapping, pondering and counting. Dima was supposed to finish a music school in Zhitomir. Will he be able to continue playing accordion in Israel? Maybe his old accordion is too heavy to take with them. Tatyana’s hobby is sewing. Will she be able to take all her sewing machines with her? She has different types of sewing machines, including an overlock machine. The Didkovski family will arrive to Israel in February 2016, straight from the severe Ukrainian winter – which clothes will be right for this time of year in Israel? And, of course – what to do if there will be an alarm from an incoming missile from Gaza?

These and many other questions Sergey and Tatyana ask employees of the “First Home in the Homeland”. Hours of phone talks and gigabytes of emails to make the Didkovski family feel more secure and welcome. Let’s pray and hope for this courageous family that is about to take the plunge. Sergey and Tatyana are going to start all over again in the Holy Land!

Follow with us their story of prophecy coming true!
To be continued!

Orly (Sveta) Wolstein
‘First Home in the Homeland’
Projectmanager Jewish Agency for Israel

Watch the photos below.