UK aid worker leads Jewish orphans out of warzone

Around 270 children among refugees rescued from Odesa by father dubbed ‘British Schindler’

AN AID worker nicknamed the “Angel of Odesa” and described as a “British Schindler” has led a convoy of 1,000 Jewish refugees, including 270 orphans, out of Ukraine to safety.

Jeremy Posen, 53, rescued the youngsters from the city of Odesa, which has faced constant bombardment by the Russians during the invasion.

Mr Posen, originally from north London and a father of 10, has worked as the chief financial officer for the charity Tikva for the past three years in Ukraine.

The charity cares for the homeless, abandoned and abused Jewish children of the country.

He said that as soon as they “heard the first bomb”, he began a rescue mission to save the lives of more than 1,000 Ukrainians whom he describes as Tikva’s “one big family”. They “left everything behind”.

Mr Posen, who led the operation with fellow charity workers, told the Jewish Chronicle those rescued included babies who were just a few weeks old as well as children with diabetes who require regular insulin injections.

Mr Posen, whose wife and children live in Israel, said: “In my head, I didn’t really believe Russia would invade, but we took the threat very seriously, and I thought: ‘OK, we’ll make sure we have food to last three months and reserves of cash, and if we don’t need it immediately, we can still use it over time.’ It was vital to have a plan.”

However, the evacuation to Romania was complex, and took 10 hours longer than planned because of roadblocks and military personnel checking paperwork.

They also faced Russian air strikes and shelling as they left the charity’s “hub” in Odesa in a convoy of 24 buses, with four food trucks.

“That first drive took more than 28 hours and it was very hairy,” Mr Posen added. “I knew we were doing the right thing because Odesa was likely to be attacked, but we could see shelling in the distance.

“We were held up at countless roadblocks, where the police and soldiers were coming on to the buses to check everyone and their papers. With so many young kids, it was quite tense.”

Some children made artwork on the journey, painting banners, saying: ‘I miss my bed’, ‘pray for us’ and ‘no war’.

“We left almost everything behind in Odesa,” he said. “All the infrastructure Tikva had built up over 30 years. Some alumni with young families own their apartments, but they left with one wheelie suitcase each.

“We don’t know if we’ll ever see what we left behind again. I didn’t even have a suitcase – only hand luggage.”

An appeal has so far raised £1.5million for the charity. Tikva set up orphanages for Jewish children after Ukraine gained independence in 1991.

A week before the Russian invasion, staff from an Israeli security firm arrived to help protect the convoy if the time came to leave.