On December 25, 1991, we received a very surprising phone call from Clarence Wagner, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of Bridges For Peace.

 

“Can you pack your suitcases and be ready to go to Odessa tomorrow morning? There is a ship leaving the Port of Haifa and they desperately need representatives from Bridges to supply and administer baby formula and other infant supplies for the Russian Jewish mothers aboard the ship.”

 

The purpose of this 10-day trip began to unfold: The secret mission of Operation Exodus had begun. This would be only the 2^nd “trial” sailing from the Port of Haifa traveling to the Port of Odessa, in order to transport as many Russian Jewish families from the Soviet Union as the government officials could process in the 24 hours that we were docked there.

 

December 26, 1991 – Loading the Ship

Our adventure began early in the morning with a 3-hour van trip to Haifa, loaded up with thousands of shekels worth of supplies. On the maiden ship journey, the Soviet officials decided that the departing Jewish mothers would not be allowed to take even basic supplies for their babies. Therefore, Bridges For Peace offered to provide these needs on the following trips. We came with cases of formula, diapers, box milk, baby wipes and other infant needs.

 

The incoming ship bringing 487 people on this first voyage, was 4 hours late due to a terrible storm with very rough waves on the sea. A great throng of welcomers awaited the new Russian immigrants, including television crews and news reporters waiting at the Port terminal. We loaded up the supplies and finally boarded the ship around 7:00 pm. We watched as mountains of luggage was off loaded for the immigrants – an advantage of coming to Israel by ship.

 

December 27, 1991 – We set sail

We set sail around 8:00 am the next morning after a light breakfast and a short time of briefing. We met together for prayer, Carol led us in a time of praise and worship, and then Steve Lightle, author of the book Exodus II, set our guidelines from Scripture regarding our imminent journey: assisting the return of the Jewish people from the “lands of the north.” There was great excitement amongst the team of believers – Christians and Messianic Jews — that had come together for this very important and serious mission. Steve also shared the concerns of our journey as we would make our way through the route, countries not favorable to our efforts of assisting Jewish people, particularly the route through the Bosphorus Straits of Turkey. Because of these security concerns, the State of Israel had provided a team of 15 well-trained Israeli security guards to be aboard our ship. Also on board were a team of about 12 Israeli officials that would process the Russian Jews on the return voyage to Israel. They would do all their paperwork so that when we docked in Haifa, each family would know exactly which absorption center in Israel they would be going to. Most of these Israeli officials were once immigrants themselves from the Soviet Union and so, the Russian language was their mother-tongue. One of the officials was the former Israeli Ambassador to the Ukraine.

 

As we headed outside the safety of the Haifa breakwater, we began to experience the rough seas that had delayed the ship the day before. Within a half an hour, most of us were very seasick, despite the fact that we had already taken sea-sickness medication. We all lost breakfast — and opted to skip lunch as well! The sounds of motion-sickness were heard all over the ship. Even the hardy Israeli security crew were terribly ill. We all stayed close to our rooms, and the toilet.

 

December 28, 1991 – Everyone is sick

Our seasickness lasted through the night and into the next morning. Motion-sickness medication did not help any of us, and we all rested most of the day. The seas were so rough that it was a real effort to stay in bed and not be thrown onto the floor. We marveled at how a ship could move in so many directions at once!

 

The Israeli government officials made sure that all of our meals were Kosher – especially for the immigrants that would be aboard in a few days. Therefore, the meals that we had were very, very simple. The last thing you want to eat when you are seasick is fish. But that’s what we had for the full 10 days of our journey: white fish, stale bread, peas, white rice…ick. Even though we were on a Greek cruise ship, we were certainly not experiencing the luxury cruise!

 

The purpose of our journey kept us going through these difficulties. Focusing on the Lord’s purposes allows one to endure physical discomforts.

 

What we did not realize, was that this horrific storm we experienced at sea, moved inland and pounded the nation of Israel bringing with it record snows, power outages, flooding, strong winds and many, many downed trees.

 

December 29-30, 1991 – Calm Seas

By noon the following day, the waters finally calmed down. Evening was filled with a lot of visiting and catching up, each sharing their enthusiasm of this trip, which had been momentarily stolen by sea-sickness.

 

We awakened the next morning to sun and calm seas, the deck was alive with shouts of “Athens!” A few clouds graced a sky filled with a brilliant sun and Athens glistened in the sunshine, giving the impression that the day was warm! Upon stepping out on the deck, however, most rushed back in for their winter coats as the temperature hovered around freezing. Several Greek boats came our way: one to check what we were doing as we had anchored several miles off the coast; others came alongside to put on supplies; and finally, a tanker to refuel our ship.

 

We spent much time together as a team, waiting on the Lord, ministering to Him in praise and worship and considering the Word of the Lord in the context of our mission. We were becoming one, together as a team, as we considered the important task ahead of us.

 

We pulled up anchor the next evening about 6:00 pm and headed north toward the narrow waterway that separates Europe and Asia called the Dardanelle’s.

 

December 31, 1991 – New Year’s Eve in Istanbul

We had smooth sailing last night and after the morning meeting with the team members, we reached the mouth of the Dardanelle’s. Both sides are Turkish and have a proliferation of muezzin towers (the spires by which the Muslims are called to prayer), rising above the villages. The temperature seems to be somewhere around freezing and we are watching snow covered hills glide silently by. Snow flurries are falling from time to time. A pilot boat pulled alongside our ship and a trained navigator boarded our ship to guide us through the narrow waterway.

 

About 9:00 pm this evening we will pass through the Bosphorus, an even narrower channel which slices the ancient city of Istanbul (old Constantinople) in half. We should be able to see the enormous Mosque Haghia Sophia which was once a Crusader Church. Dr. Kent Bar Shov, our doctor on board, says that the Mosque is well lit and stands near the waterway making it easy to see from the ship. We must pass under two bridges that link east and west Istanbul and the Israeli security forces which joined us on this voyage say that this position is our most vulnerable to terrorism on the entire trip. They have taken up their posts, well-armed, as we pass through the straits, ready for any potential danger.

 

We passed through Istanbul slightly behind schedule (just before midnight) and without a doubt, it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It must have inspired C.S. Lewis in his description of Tashban in the Chronicles of Narnia. We gathered on the deck of the ship for prayer as we passed under the bridges. The sobering thought that came to mind was that all this area, once Paul’s territory for church planting, now lies in the dark clutches of Islam.

 

Just minutes before midnight we moved into the Black Sea, heading toward Odessa. What a great way to enter into a new year.

 

Rough waves has once again sent many back to bed, including myself. It had been a full day.

 

January 1, 1992 – New Year’s Day

Even though the waves were quite rough last night, I did not get too sick. Perhaps I was beginning to adapt.

 

We were all assigned duties today for on loading of the ship tomorrow. I will be posted as a check point for the cargo coming aboard. It has been locked in containers but the locks must be checked for tampering. We had communion in the evening with Dr. Ray Gannon officiating, and it was a tender time with the Lord.

 

January 2, 1992 - Arrival at the Port of Odessa

We can see the lights of Odessa in the distance. We seem to be awaiting dawn for docking. It is 5:00 am and very dark. An hour later we docked, but still it was very dark. I sort of expected to see a crowd of people waiting for our ship, but the terminal was dark and closed. No light until 7:30 am and it is snowing just slightly, though there is hardly any on the ground. At about 8:30, they were preparing to load on the baggage. I asked one of the Soviet agents guarding the dock if I could take his photo and he gruffly answered a firm “No!”

 

A few minutes later I heard someone whistling and turned. The Soviet guard had positioned himself out of sight of his fellow guards and was making hand signals that I could now take his picture!

 

Boarding the Russian Immigrants

From the time we put down the gangplank, all the volunteers worked very hard getting as many Russians on board as was possible before sundown. We even hoped that we would be allowed to get in a short tour of Odessa as well, though it did not seem like it would happen. The Soviet authorities had already refused this request. We continued working – loading the immigrants luggage and personal belongings. A number of volunteers met the immigrants at the bottom of the gangplank to assist them as they struggled with their luggage, baby strollers, toddlers, etc. Many of them were beyond exhaustion from their journey to get to the ship, were desperately hungry, and crushed in spirit as well. It was a huge relief for them to be greeted by one of us, with a warm “shalom”. Many of the elderly and disabled needed to be carried on board, some in their wheelchairs.

 

There were a number of very poignant moments with the families that were coming aboard this “exodus” ship. Many of them shared their stories of their painful and difficult journey just to get to this point.

 

Weeping and Wailing

Standing on the ship and looking down the gangplank, I was struck by the sound of intense screaming. I had never heard anyone cry with such agony. Soon the screaming woman was doubled over, a man on each side of her attempting to push her towards the gangplank. It was obvious to me at that point that she was hysterical with grief.

 

I watched in shock as one of the men slapped her hard in the face. She momentarily got enough composure to come aboard the ship. It was only later that we heard her story – the reason for her hysterics.

 

As she came through the processing room with her husband and son, the Russian authorities were demanding all jewelry be handed over to them. Only a very teeny amount of gold would be able to be brought out of the country. When the authorities saw a ring on her finger – an amount of gold obviously over the set limit, they gruffly demanded she remove the ring.

 

“But sirs, you don’t understand! This ring was given to me while my Mother lay dying on her death bed. I couldn’t possibly part with it!”

 

“Give us the ring!” the authorities insisted.

 

“But I cannot remove it. It is stuck on my finger.” It was clear that the ring was firmly stuck on her pudgy fingers and could not be removed, though the woman was trying to remove it with much difficulty.

 

“Give us the ring or we will cut off your finger!” This demand was too much for the immigrant woman. Somehow she was able to remove the ring, but this final act of uncalled for cruelty pushed her over the edge and she began to weep uncontrollably.

 

Our team tried to comfort her, and encourage her as she came on board the ship, leaving behind precious memories and treasures in Soviet Russia. Over the next few days, she continued to pour out her heart to the sympathetic volunteers on board. Little did we know that on the night of the concert, the Lord would touch her in a very special way.

 

“The Gentiles shall Carry them home”

Often as the believers on the ship gathered together to wait on the Lord in prayer and reading His word, we were struck by the reality of so many scriptures being fulfilled on this journey! As we helped aboard several hundred Russian Jewish immigrants at the Port of Odessa, we had to carry many of the disabled and elderly aboard, some in their wheelchairs – just as scripture indicated. We were literally “carrying” them home to Israel, and it blessed our hearts to have had this awesome privilege and to participate in fulfilling prophecy.

 

The Soviet Guards Aboard our Ship

As the immigrants slowly made their way from the “processing room”, across the walkway, up the long gangplank struggling with their sacks and bags, they were greeted by one final border checkpoint: two huge stern Soviet guards. Their faces glaring at the departing Jews said it all…they despised them. The guards reached out their hands for the boarding immigrants and demanded their Soviet passports. Stunned and visibly frightened, the Jews fumbled with their belongings to find their passports again, obviously not aware of this final border control, and turned them over hesitantly. You could read the concerns on their faces: Why do they ask for our passports? Will they return them to us? Is everything in order for me, or is this only the last cruel joke?

 

After questioning them extensively again, the guards slowly returned their passports. Immediately following the release of their passports, the immigrants turned to the left and were greeted by a Christian volunteer with a warm smile and the word, “Shalom!” The volunteer moved forward towards them offering to help them with their baggage. Often they burst into tears with incredible relief to know that they had finally arrived to a haven of safety. The welcome word “shalom”  brought a visible response to each person coming aboard our ship.

 

Touring Odessa!

About 2:30 in the afternoon, I was standing near some of the Israeli customs officials that were aboard our ship and overheard them shouting in excitement that  they were going to be allowed to go ashore! We only had 30 minutes to get ready. Quickly we ran for our passports, land passes and coats to join their delegation on a tour bus for a short trip through Odessa.

 

In order to get to our bus, we had to pass through the building where the Soviet officials were processing the Russian Jewish immigrants. I do not believe they were expecting to be viewed by us in their merciless task. We observed how they inspected each item that had been packed by the immigrants. I saw one official going page by page in a book. The longer they took, the fewer Jews would be able to board the ship, and they would have to wait another week for the next ship. It was cruel punishment for a people already oppressed.

 

After about 10 minutes aboard the tour bus (a very boring monotone tour I might add), I prayed in the depths of my heart for the tour bus to stop or break down so we could walk among the Russian people in the streets. Very shortly thereafter the bus pulled to the curb and the tour guide apologized to us with the words that, the streets ahead were blocked, and we would have to walk the rest of the way! Hallelujah!

 

It is very hard to describe the bleakness and the dark heavy feeling on the streets, the lack of consumer goods for sale in their large storefronts, the sad empty faces and hollowness of the present Russian culture. We looked for a few souvenirs to buy for our children to take home and could find nothing. We did find a vendor selling Russian bread. Because our Kosher diet on the ship was so bleak, we were anxious to have fresh bread at least. After a failed attempt to make ourselves understood, a Russian woman passing by who spoke English came to our assistance. We explained that we wanted to buy all of her bread and we were offering $1.00 a loaf. The lady took our American Dollars and made a quick exchange of Russian rubles for the bread seller, keeping our American Dollars for herself. It seemed more than fair for us, and we were happy with our treasure as we headed back to meet our group.

 

When we returned to our bus with a sack of fresh loaves of bread for everyone, there was applause! Then we found out that we had given our Russian translator the equivalent of one month’s wages for the bread! How would we have known?

 

January 3, 1992 – Ship heads to Haifa

As we left the Port of Odessa early the next morning with our load of several hundred Russian Jewish immigrants with their animals, luggage and personal belongings, many of their stories were shared with us as we interviewed them.

 

“Twelve Years I Prepared For This Moment!”

As we stood on deck looking over the sea, we were interrupted by this statement of a bearded man in his 30s.

 

“I taught myself Hebrew, and got so good, that I began teach Hebrew!” Understanding the restrictions in the Soviet Union, this really astounded us.

 

With tears in his eyes, he continued to explain, “I decided many years ago that I would make aliyah to Israel one day – on a ship! And here I am today! This is a dream come true for me.” At that moment, I fully understood the involvement of the God of Israel as He prepared to deliver His people from the jaws of communism – particularly in the Former Soviet Union.

 

From time to time since this man brought his pregnant wife and daughter to Israel on this ship journey with us, we have run into them on the streets of Jerusalem! It has been terrific to hear of their progress in adjusting to life in Israel. 

 

I spoke with a couple for Kiev who had been waiting in Odessa for several days for the ship to return. They reported that there was no food to buy, no milk and conditions were miserable. Their daughter went to a Jewish school in Kiev where they said anti-Semitism is on the rise. Stones were often thrown through the school’s windows and hatred was an everyday way of life. Though apprehensive of what lay ahead, they were so happy to be finally leaving for Israel – a lifelong dream.

 

Door to Door Welcoming Committee

During the journey, several of our volunteers decided to go door to door as teams of two, and bring a word of welcome to the cabins of our guests from Russia. They put together a cart with tea and cookies and began one by one to visit each family who had come aboard.

 

The volunteers were well received and with translators helping them tell their story, we exchanged information about their new country they were traveling to, Israel. Tea was served, and surprising to our volunteers, in order to reciprocate the hospitality, the Russian guests served the volunteers chocolates, biscuits and Vodka!

 

Lifeboat Drill

About 11:00 am, we had an emergency drill on the deck of the ship with everyone in their life jackets. They actually lowered a life boat to illustrate the procedure of emergency evacuation of the ship.

 

The Israeli officials had been slipping into the private meeting room of the Christian volunteer team, listening to our times of praise and worship and singing. Several of the Israeli officials approached my wife Carol who had been leading the praise sessions and asked if she would be willing to do a musical concert for the immigrants the night before the ship pulled into Haifa. She agreed.

 

As she prayed that day about the concert, the Lord assured her that He would be present. The scripture the Lord impressed upon her was, “I will turn their mourning into dancing and their sorrow into joy.” We had no idea the extent to which the Lord would touch His people.

 

January 4, 1992 – The Greek Islands

For early January, the weather today is unseasonably warm and beautiful. As we pass by the Greek islands, it seems like vacation cruise! I am happy for the calm seas for the sake of the immigrants, remembering our rough seas going to Odessa.

 

January 5, 1992 – Concert Night

We are nearing the Land of Israel and everyone is happy, but anxious to get off the ship. We sensed the struggle of emotions in the immigrants: sad to leave the only country and language they had known, glad to be finally going to Eretz Israel – their new homeland.

 

Carol’s concert began around 5:00 pm. It seemed as if everyone on board that ship decided to attend the concert. There we were all gathered together: about 450 Russian immigrants, 15 Israeli security men, the Israeli immigration officials, all of the believer’s team, even staff from the ship crew and kitchen slipped into the concert room.

 

Carol sang traditional Israeli Hebrew songs that many of the immigrants could join in and sing. At first, the faces of the immigrants reflected much sadness – hearing their sad stories we understood the heaviness that was upon them. Their heads hung down reflecting that heaviness. We were praying for them, however.

 

Over the course of the days traveling from Odessa, many of these immigrants had expressed to us their concern and fear of beginning a new life all over in Israel: learning a new language, finding employment, settling in to their new home, etc. However, most of them had dreamed of coming to their homeland for many long years, and soon, this dream would be realized. No doubt the pain of the oppressive communist government many of them had experienced for so many years also was reflected on their faces.

 

The songs Carol sang that night reflected thanks and praise to the God of Israel - scriptural promises encouraging the Jewish people of God’s plan. There began to be a change in the demeanor of the immigrants. All at once, several of the Christian volunteers jumped up, grasped hands and began a traditional Israeli circle dance. Several Israeli governmental officials also jumped up and joined in the circle dance. The celebration had begun, and it was as if joy exploded in that room! Now the faces of the immigrants were turned upwards, smiles on their faces, singing and clapping their hands robustly and grinning from ear to ear. Two of the Russian immigrant women – the one who came on the ship “weeping and wailing” a few days earlier, also jumped up and joined the circle dance in celebration! We all sensed the presence of the Lord, and His pleasure – He was caring for His people and already beginning to heal their wounds.

 

There was the fulfillment of the scripture the Lord had given Carol earlier that day. Truly God was healing and comforting His people and replacing their mourning with singing and their sorrows with joy. We all knew that the Lord would continue to care for His people – long after we parted and went our separate ways.

 

As the concert ended, Carol sang, “Shalom haverim, shalom haverim” (goodbye friends, goodbye friends) as each immigrant filed out of the concert room, blowing her kisses and weeping with joy. Following the concert, the Israeli security men surrounded Carol and asked her in their broken English, “What happened in that room? What did you do?”

 

It is difficult to explain God’s presence and His healing power!

 

The same Israeli security men called a special meeting immediately following the concert and asked that all of us Christian volunteers to attend. We had no idea what the meeting was about. When we were all seated, one the appointed spokesman began: “We just want to say, ‘Kol ha kavod l’chem’ (all the glory to you all)! You have done an amazing job on this trip and we have watched you very closely. We had a wonderful time on this journey. Thank you all very much for all your efforts.”

 

January 6, 1992 - Arriving back to Eretz Israel

We made it home! Before the sun came up we could see the lights of Haifa in the distance. The volunteers, Israeli government officials and immigrants exchanged addresses and phone numbers before we all went our separate ways.

 

1992-Present

Some time later, we discovered that a number of the families that we brought from Odessa where actually living in an immigrant absorption center about 2 blocks from our house in an old hotel.

 

Since our journey in 1991, we have run into a few of the families on a number of occasions. It has been so exciting to see how they have been absorbed into Israeli society, settled into their life, learned Hebrew, had more children, served in the Israeli army, etc.

 

This same journey by ship continues to bring hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants to Israel. This is funded and supported by Ebenezer Emergency Fund. Contact their website for more information about their present efforts.