An Israeli minister visiting Poland has spoken of his disbelief and shock at seeing refugees streaming in from Ukraine.

Nachman Shai — whose Polish family was murdered in the Holocaust — travelled to the border last week to see how Israeli and Jewish charities are helping with the relief effort.

The Diaspora Affairs Minister told the JC: “I saw endless streams of refugees, 99 per cent of them were female, kids and old people. The children were not letting go of their mothers, because it’s the only thing they know when they look around. If their mother disappears, they are left with nothing . . . I couldn’t believe my eyes that something like that could happen in my generation.”

He emphasised that the situation was not directly comparable with the Holocaust because the Ukrainians are not being “systematically exterminated”. 

But still he was reminded of his family’s history. He said: “What made me sensitive was that my grandparents came from a city 60 miles away from Warsaw. No one survived.”

Mr Shai urged Israel to welcome non-Jewish refugees, saying: “The Ukrainians are just looking for a nappy, a shower, and food. That’s all. And they are here temporarily, because they want to go back home to their families. They didn’t leave because they were looking for jobs. Why should they stay in Israel?”

Israel is also expecting an influx of Russian Jews fleeing the economic chaos triggered by Western sanctions, according to the minister. Mr Shai said: “Some estimates put the number at around 50,000 from both Ukraine and Russia. I will of course do my best for them to have a home when they get here.”

Mr Shai was among the ministers opposed to a plan to make Ukrainian refugees pay a £2,300 deposit to enter Israel, which was later rejected.

Nearly 2,500 Ukrainian immigrants have entered Israel since the beginning of the war.