Simon Swerdlow, 33, says he owes his life to Chabad.
In 1990, he left Belarus at the age of 13, part of an airlift of 250 children from areas surrounding the doomed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. That was the first flight operated by Chabad Children of Chernobyl, a Chabad-Lubavitch run organization designed to rescue those most vulnerable from the meltdown that left thousands of square kilometers uninhabitable.
Today, 25 years after the disaster that transfixed the world and days after CCOC’s 93rd flight of boys and girls to Israel to rebuild their lives, Swerdlow still remembers his own evacuation. He flew first to London and on to Israel that August, arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport to a crowd dancing on the tarmac. They held shields saying “Brothers and Sisters of Chernobyl, Welcome to Kfar Chabad,” the children’s new home, a village not far from the airport.
“It was a really strange feeling: These people are dancing, they put you on their shoulders, they give you sweets, you’re driving around and everybody’s smiling,” he said. “This is an immediate feeling, like, am I dreaming or something, why all of a sudden some strange people would do this for me?”
The organization has grown significantly since those days, relocating a total of 2,755 children. Founded at the direction of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, CCOC’s complex in Kfar Chabad sports dormitories and outdoor spaces, enhanced educational programming, and medical and psychological services.
The newest arrivals are now on what Swerdlow considers the path that gave him a future.
“It’s made my life. It didn’t affect it, it gave me a second birth,” he said.
Looking back, even though he didn’t know where he was headed or what life would be like, he knew he was in good hands: “It was a true, true home feeling.”
According to Rabbi Yossi Swerdlov, international director of Chabad Children of Chernobyl, relocating these children with the consent of their parents – many arrive in Israel later – offers them a hope for a viable future.
“Living in the contaminated areas surrounding the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster puts them at very high risk for a broad range of radiation-related illnesses,” he explained. “By removing them permanently from the affected areas, we are giving them the chance to recover fully and go on to healthy and successful lives.”
Its work also serves as a vehicle for educating people about radioactive contamination’s short and long-term effects, said the rabbi. “Even though it is 25 years since the explosion, the danger to the children is just as great, if not even greater, today.”
In addition to bringing children out, the organization works to connect families, said Esti Herman, executive director of its U.S. office. She pointed to the case of a 13-year-old who left the region a year and a half ago and was reunited with his uncle, who was brought in to visit the very ill teenager.
“We do that kind of thing, too. We believe it’s not just the physical part that needs nurturing, it’s the soul,” said Herman. “So we reunite families however we can.”
And children keep in touch. The organization often gets calls from people who came to Israel on their flights years ago, calling to say thank you and update CCOC on their status. Some are doctors, others lawyers or teachers. Four got married this year.
Herman reconnected with a young woman who was evacuated when she was 11 and graduated from the program at 18.
“She just emailed me to say how well she was doing,” said Herman. “We keep in touch with them as long as they can, as long as they need us. We’re always there for them, and they know it.”
Fundraising takes place at a large gala in November, which has featured many a celebrity spotting, including Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Michael Douglas and Heidi Klum. Steven Spielberg has also been honored at the annual event.
A new leadership committee runs several events a year and an active Facebook page welcomes volunteers, high-end auction items, and funds. Meeting a child’s needs for the first year costs $18,000 per child, including flight, education, board and medical needs.
“Our funds show direct results. You donate the funding, we save children. It’s not a pipe dream,” said Herman. “We save children directly through fundraising.”
The organization also sets up mammography clinics in the Chernobyl area.
Meanwhile, Swerdlow, who was on the first flight and now lives in Florida with his wife and five-year-old daughter, works to give back to the organization that has given him so much, and encourages others to take part in the efforts.
“People have a real opportunity to help somebody who truly, truly needs their help,” he said. “They can forget about their bills, rent, inflation, gas prices and everything else. This is nothing, totally immaterial when somebody is dying, and it’s the feeling that you really saved somebody.”
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