Three years into Ukraine War, Jewish men face forced conscription and death at the front

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its third year, Jewish men of military age face a grim reality: forcible conscription from the streets, followed by deployment to the front lines where survival is measured in days.

"The most difficult situation is for men of draft age between 18-60," says Hodaya Halfon, who runs the Wings of Faith rescue organization with her husband Yitzhak. "They cannot leave Ukraine even with an Israeli passport. Many hide to avoid the army, which kidnaps men directly from the streets."

The Halfons, who lived in Kharkiv for 14 years before the war, have evacuated over 5,000 Jews from Ukraine since the conflict began. They describe a deteriorating situation where official sources acknowledge that newly conscripted soldiers often perish within days of reaching the front - a phenomenon Ukrainians grimly refer to as "the meat grinder."

Despite ongoing talks between President Zelenskyy and Trump, there appears to be no end in sight to the conflict. Meanwhile, Ukraine's healthcare system has collapsed following Russian cyber attacks, leaving many without essential medical care.

Jacob, a Jewish man in his 60s recently diagnosed with a serious illness, exemplifies the crisis. When hospitals could only offer morphine for palliative care, his daughter in Israel sought help from Wings of Faith. The organization managed to secure his medical documents after a Russian cyber attack had locked down hospital archives, enabling his evacuation to Israel.

"The reality in Ukraine is becoming harder and more cruel," says Halfon. "Every day there are drone attacks, not all of them can be intercepted. Russia has struck the Chernobyl area, and there is intense fighting on the eastern and southern fronts."

With temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius and many homes lacking electricity and heating, elderly Jews are freezing to death while children suffer from malnutrition. The organization recently rescued an elderly Jewish couple from Kharkiv - the husband blind, the wife bedridden - moments before their building was destroyed by Russian strikes.

For men of military age, the danger is even more immediate. Alexei, 31, was hiding from conscription when local police revealed his location. Armed men broke into his apartment at night and took him to a recruitment facility. Wings of Faith is now working through legal channels to prevent his deployment to the front.

"It's important to understand that these aren't historical memories we can read about and move on," Halfon emphasizes. "This is happening right now, at this very moment. Each passing day determines the fate of more Jews struggling to survive in the chaos of war."