Speaking to the JC, Nivi, who requested that only her first name be used for privacy reasons, said: “During the last escalation with Iran, I set up a WhatsApp group to connect members of our local community with Israelis who suddenly found themselves stranded in the UK when flights were disrupted.”
Nivi now works in collaboration with the Israeli Community Europe Network which helps support Israeli holidaymakers across the continent.
"We manage the London side, matching people who need help with those who can offer it,” Nivi explained.
“Through the group we’ve been able to connect stranded Israelis with families offering rooms, but also with practical support when needed, including doctors, dentists and even laptops for people who need to continue working or studying while they are stuck here.”
Nivi has found it “incredibly moving” to see how quickly people have stepped forward to help, by opening up their homes, offering meals or providing other forms of support: “It really shows the strength of the community and the willingness to support one another in difficult moments,” she said.
“As an Israeli living outside Israel during times of war, my heart is constantly worried and it can feel helpless being so far away. Helping Israelis here makes me feel that I am at least doing something meaningful to support people who have been living under immense pressure, especially since October 7.”
Emanuella, who lives in Islington, north London, has a spare room and “wanted to be helpful” so was compelled to volunteer.
“It is funny, in the beginning on the group chat people were fighting to host,” said Emanuella.
"Everybody wanted to help. It was a race to reply: ‘I can host, I can host’, then Nivi had to turn off the comments and people had to reply to her privately”.
Inbar was in London celebrating her 26th birthday (Image: Inbar)[Missing Credit]
The host, whose guests left on Sunday after managing to get a flight said: “We wanted to do every little bit we could do to help. I am blessed to have a big house with a guest room. It is just an empty room. We took in two 18-year-old girls who were here on holiday. They ended up stranded when their flights were cancelled.
“Extending their hotel stay would have been so expensive. Honestly, it is not an inconvenience or a cost to me at all.
“At least these girls got to stay in a safe Jewish home with a family until they left.”
Emanuella added that she was pleased to be able to provide “peace of mind” to the young women she hosted.
“The plan was for them to go to the airport on Sunday in case there would be space on a flight...We agreed that if they got their flight they would let me know and if they couldn’t get one they would come back to the house.”
The help that hosts across London are providing “is what solidarity means”, she believes.
Reflecting on the past week and a half, Tehila Darmon, CEO of the Israeli Community Europe Network, said: "In the first week [London] had more than a thousand [Israelis stranded]. Many were stuck – families, couples, singles, seniors – it was crazy."
The situation is less chaotic now, with more Israelis “slowly finding a way back home," but the network continues to receive requests for accommodation.
Volunteer host Ilana is currently hosting three guests, one via Nivi’s group chat, and two through other connections, though she has hosted others who have already managed to find a way home.
She said she never “gave a second thought” as to whether to help: “I would hope that if I was in the same situation in Israel people would do the same for me,” she reasoned.
"We are one big family at the end of the day.”
Ilana said that the Israelis she has hosted “came as strangers and left as family”.
One guest who has now returned to Israel wrote to Ilana from the airport: “I wish I had enough English words to thank you but hugging you both was the best I had...My travel to London started hard and finished with a cherry on top which I will always remember.”
As happy as Ilana is host those stranded here, she is praying that one particular guest manages to catch a flight as soon as possible – they are due to get married in Israel later this month.
As for Nivi, she is also hosting people as well as connecting community members with those in need.
One of her guests, Inbar, was in London celebrating her 26th birthday with her boyfriend when the war broke out on February 28, with joint strikes by the US and Israel on Iran.
“We came here to celebrate but the war began, and we got stuck,” she said.
"We thought ‘what do we do now?’”
Extending their hotel stay would have been prohibitively expensive, but Nivi helped the couple by welcoming them ino her home.
The trip to Britain had particular poignancy for Inbar – it marked the first time since October 7 she had left Israel.
This was the first time Inbar has left Israel since the war began in October 2023: “I haven't been to another country...because of the [Israel-Hamas] war. I didn’t want to fly.”
While she stressed that she was grateful for all Nivi had done, she is keen, to get back to Israel. Summing up how hundreds of her fellow compatriots likely feel, she added: “I miss my home.”
Only first names have been used in this story for privacy reasons
