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On September 29, the vigils were held  for those who lost their lives in Babyn Yar. It has been 81 years since the tragedy occurred on the outskirts of Kyiv. 

Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers to the monument to the victims of Babyn Yar and honored their memory with a minute of silence. 

The video was published in the President's Telegram channel: 

“Unfortunately, the history is repeating itself in Ukraine today with all the atrocities of the war. 

Criminals who bring such tragedies to nations, must be punished to show all the dictators and tyrants what happens to those who desire to repeat something of the kind in the future".

On the eve of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah the “Chesed” charitable fund of Zaporizhzhia held a festive meeting with the rabbi of Zaporizhzhia region, Nohum-Kohen Erentroj.

Today, the best gift for the holiday of Rosh Hashanah is the chance to celebrate it with near and dear ones, despite any borders. Therefore, this year’s online celebration, which was  attended by more than 60 participants, was full of even greater energy of unity.

The participants of the event greeted each other, talked about the importance of friendship in such a difficult wartime, had fun and rejoiced.

A pleasant gift was that Rabbi of the Zaporizhzhia region, Nohum Cohen-Erentroj joined the online event directly from the walls of the Synagogue… Читать дальше »

The city of Nikolaev is shrouded with the atmosphere of war, nevertheless, more than 200 Jews of all ages came to hear the prayer of Rosh Hashanah and the blasts of the shofar. 

It ws such an emotional moment. No words can describe the people, simply holding each other’s hands, rubbing their eyes not to show the tears of excitement to really have the chance and honor to celebrate New Year together despite the heavy shelling their town is being subjected daily.

Rabbi Shalom Gotlib blew a shoffar, and the sound opened and awakened the hearts of all the participants who united in prayer to God for peace and security. 

When people arrived for a special prayer of “Our Father”, a Jewish soldier came from the front t… Читать дальше »

This Sunday, the community members got together for the celebration of the New Year. 

In the "Rosh Hashanah - old traditions with a modern view" museum, each of the participants was able to make the rite of Tashlich, try to blow Shofar, and take part in an intellectual quiz. And, surely, do some good and taste apples with honey.

The Jewish community wants to take a minute to say the words of gratitude to all the attendees, as well as to the warriors who made this event possible in the given circumstance. 

Shan Tova! Sweet and peaceful year to everyone!

Rosh Hashanah is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar.

It symbolizes the beginning of a new year and a new destiny for each and everyone.

It can’t be imagined without Torah readings and blasts of a shofar. 

That is exactly the way that 5783 was celebrated in Hungary, on the shores of the magnificent Balaton lake near Budapest, in a camp for the displaced persons of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine.

More photos: here

Recently, the Jews around the world saw 5783 in with prayers and festivities. And the Jews of Ukraine added to the traditional prayers the ones for peace and happiness. In the Jewish community of Khmelnitsky everything was done to make the holiday as good as ever. The festive table was laid and the traditions were discussed, educational videos were shown. There was a quiz, Jewish Karaoke and, of course, lots of apples, honey and other staples of the holiday. 

By the end of the dinner, Yosef Teitelbaum, the rabbi of Khmelnytsky and Khmelnytsky region, blew a Shofar. It was not only an extremely pleasant surprise, but also a new blessing for the year.

Everyone, craving peace and unity, who celebrated Rosh Hashanah in a war-affected Ukraine, could feel the blessing of the holiday. Serhiy Katsman, the head of the Shostka Jewish Community, wished everyone a very happy new year and thanked all the volunteers, members of the board and everyone who supported Jewish people in such difficult times.

Shana Tova!

First, the children prepared for the festival decorating, learning the traditions and talking about the importance of the season. 

Many songs were sung, games played, traditions discussed during the celebration. And, by the end, the festive table was laid by kids themselves.

On September 21, a commemorative ceremony was held at the Yad Vashem memorial complex. The memory of the Jews murdered by the German Nazis in Babyny Yar, Bohdanivka, Drobytskyi Yar and other regions of Ukraine was honoured. 

As the Ambassador noted in his speech: "I am convinced that society should remember its own history in order to draw conclusions from the past and not to repeat mistakes in the future. The memory of the victims of Babyny Yar, the Holocaust and Holodomor (terror-famine) should serve as a warning that human intolerance and violence can lead, under certain circumstances, to irreversible, terrible tragedies".

Today, more than ever, we call on the international community to join forces to prevent any manifes… Читать дальше »

Every year, this paper is published for the birthday of the foundation, but this year the "Shalom Aleichem!" title (translated as "Peace be with you!" is as relevant as ever).

The readers, mainly clients of the foundation, received a fresh issue of the annals before the celebration of the 23rd anniversary of Hesed.

On the pages of the magazine there is a report of Hesed's yearly work. It is so great that a large portion of the material did not fit in the columns.

And, of course, it was made sure that everyone received the newspaper, even in the most remote areas.

Members of the "Hesed Shmuel" Jewish Community Charitable Fund in Kherson remembered and honored the memory of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

In the steppe, far from human eyes, there is a monument on the grave of the inhabitants of the village of Bobrovy Kut (Kherson region), but the grave itself is a deep well into which the Nazis and their accomplices on September 16, 1941 threw 947 Jews alive - eldrely people, women and children.

Many members of the  "Hesed Shmuel" Jewish Charitable Community in Kherson still pass the memory of the lost near and dear ones from generation to generation. 

Among those buried alive there were 7 members of one family. The only survival was their father, who at that time… Читать дальше »

The Volunteers visited “The Harmony” center  for education and rehabilitation  in Borislav to deliver the disabled children paraphernalia brought from the Veteran's Army organization in Great Britain for the "Palyanytsya" organization.

In the Synagogue of the Jewish Center of Chernihiv, a fragrant, tasty and incredibly warm apple Lekah was prepared for Rosh Hashanah.

While cooking, the participants learned  about all the main elements of the holiday: shofar, repentance, prayer, book of life, trial, festive meal, kiddush, apple, honey, pomegranate, fish, tzimes.

In the month of Elul, which precedes the beginning of the new Jewish year, in all synagogues around the world, the readings of "slichot" - prayers for the forgiveness - are held.

It is customary to gather at night in synagogues and read slichot ("apology") texts and prayers that encourage repentance and end with a plea for forgiveness in Elul.

The Main Synagogue of Bukovyna is also preparing for Rosh Hashanah.

Community members gather for night prayers for forgiveness, peace and support for our country.

We wish everyone a peaceful and sweet year!

SHANA TOVA U METUKA

The participants of these traditional meetings have discovered  a new format since the beginning of the war. Now the meetings take place in Odesa, Berlin and virtually via Zoom.

What was the agenda? 

Of course, the delicacies and the raised "lechaim" with the traditional wish for each other to have a happy and sweet New Year took on a deeper meaning these times.

There was a ceremony of afrashat halot - the separation of the challah bread. All women, wherever they were, separated a certain part from the dough and prayed that the Creator would grant abundance, blessings and success.

After separation, the participants wove traditional round challahs, symbolizing the end (and immediately the beginning!) of the year, and … Читать дальше »

As an indivisible part of the tradition of Elul celebration, a shofar was blown by the messenger of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi David Maltzev. 

The event was organized by the Jewish Community of Pavlograd and attended by around 50 people whose near and dear ones were buried at the cemetery. Also, the Kaddish was read for the relatives of those who couldn’t be present but sent their requests from different parts of the world and Ukraine.

The new program was launched by the   "Hasde Esther" Charity Foundation to open a new volunteer centre called “Chernihiv Volunteer Community”, as a part of the large All-Ukrainian volunteer network, which has been implementing various social projects and initiatives in many cities of Ukraine for many years.

"Spread goodness" department collected and donated to the  "Northern Angel" volunteer foundation warm clothes and kitchenware for the displaced people and all those who were affected by the war.

To mark the day when G-d reviews our records, judging our merits and faults, setting a verdict for the quality of our forthcoming year, the volunteers of the “Wings of Kindness” project supported by the JDC, have created hand-made festive memorabilia.

The Bila Tserkva Jewish Community is happy to invite each and every one to the "Jewish Bila Tserkva" excursion and promises to donate all income to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The group will be guided by the Jewish Community Head Natella Andrushenko on September 25, the Eve of Rosh Hashanah. 

During the planned hour/ hour and a half, the participants will hear about the Jewish legacy in the city, visit architectural monuments an other Jewish-related sites. 

As charity is the main point of the excursion, the minimal ticket price will be 100 hryvnas. Admittance is limited.

Please, reserve the tickets in advance by dialing 8-063-441-76-51 (Mon - Fri 10:00 - 16:00) or sending message to the community Facebook page.

&nb… Читать дальше »

September is one of the most tragic months for the Nikolaev region since the Shoah. It was in September 1941 that mass executions of the Jewish population began.

That is why every year, the members of the Jewish community of Nikolaev come to the memorable places and honor the dead. However, the atrocities of war and military actions in Nikolaev and its entire region, constant shelling and air strikes render this annual event impossible.

Today, when most members of the communities are scattered around the world, the "Memory Marathon" project was initiated with the address to the members of the Jewish community to send photos from memorable places of those countries and cities where they are now.

Alexey Pavlishchev, for example, … Читать дальше »

The Embassy of Israel in Ukraine together with MASHAV handed the batches of packed lunches over to the residents of Balaklia and Izyum, towns recently freed from occupation. 

Thanks to the initiative of the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine and MASHAV, official international development cooperation program, the batches of ready-made packed lunch were distributed among the residents of Balaklia, Izyum and about 14 other settlements of the Kharkiv region.

The doors of the banquet hall of the "Beit Baruch" charity centre at the "Beit Reuven" synagogue were opened to the students of the “Or Avner” school on September 14, 2022 (Elul 18, 5782). 

To mark the end of the year, the students watched Rebbe’s video, were moved by the  performance of rebbetzin Dina Stambler, took part in a photo session and enjoyed sweet presents. 

The students of the 7 - 9 grades of the “Or Avner” school got together for  the first festive meeting of the “EnerJew” Jewish kid program this year.

Our charming volunteers held a heartwarming event for the elderly people which they named "A Good Jam Day" and cooked a supply of marmalade to give those who are not so young some fun, vitamins and sweetness of the peaceful autumn holidays.

 The art-studio of the “Hesed-Arie” Lviv Charitable Foundation organized another Rosh Hashanah meeting for children understanding the importance of the festive atmosphere in such dark times. 

They have been preparing for the holiday, making beautiful home decor with apples, pomegranates and other attributes of the beautiful and peaceful holiday of Rosh Hashanah for several weeks already.

5783 is announced as the year of Hakhel - A Year of Unity.

Every seven years is a Hakhel year. In ancient times of the Temple, during a Hakhel year, Jews would stream to Jerusalem to unite in the Holy Temple, and hear Torah from the King.

Each month of the calendar depicts the Unity event together with its detailed description and explanation.

You can also find the dates important for Jewish people, candle lighting hours in Ukraine and so on.

The calendars come in 5 popular formats: poster, wall-poster sized, desk-top, notebook and a euro flyer.

The "Beit Baruch” Kamyanske charity center in the "Beit Reuven" synagogue distributed and delivered festive food packages to the members of the community on September 13, 2022 (Elul 17, 5782), on the birthday eve of  Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.

The Krivoy Rog Active Jewish Teens Junior and “Beit Graham”project is entering its new season. More than 29 participants, aged 7 to 12, joined this project despite the difficulties of the war.

A specially devised program includes interesting workshops, lessons, quests, sport activities and board games. 

Our caring counselors will try to make the process of education and entertainment as exciting as possible in the given circumstances!

The "Chesed-Arye" Lviv charitable fund invited its members and the members of the Lviv Jewish Community to the Japanese Art therapy session dedicated to Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) presenting everyone a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy origami creation, listening to the Shofar.

The activists held a lecture on the importance and meaning of the month of Elul. They discussed the preparation for the celebration of Rosh Hashanah and reminded all that there is always a chance for repentance and the return to the Almighty, however, it is the days of the month of Elul that are  the best time.

The war is, of course, taking its toll, however, this kind of knowledge will be useful even in the times of peace. 

Therefore the management of the Sumy Jewish Сommunity decided to invite representatives of the Red Cross to conduct an educational training on pre-medical assistance.

The class included basic check-up information, instructions on how to clear the airways of the unconscious person and perform direct heart massage; what to do in case of blood loss or a respiratory arrest.

Red Cross volunteers and employees never cease to encourage everyone to join such actions.

The participants are grateful to Oleksandr Hnibidov for his assistance in the organization of this training.

Special thanks go to Larisa and Vladimir Golubkov, … Читать дальше »

The participants of the JSummer Universal camp and the JFuture Vinnytsa project gathered and ready for new adventures, research and achievements. Children have fun, develop their creative abilities, find new friends and receive a huge charge of positive emotions in this difficult time of war. The children gain new Jewish knowledge in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. They have many adventures, excursions, master classes, games and competitions, aimed at revealing the child's potential.

Thanks to the help and support of the Odessa Jewish Community, the educational process was organized for the students according to all the requirements of the wartime. The students are in a safe building with a bomb shelter in case of attacks, as well as a sufficient supply of food and water for several days.

The children receive a high quality education despite these difficult times of war. Students study not only general education subjects, but also talk a lot about the month of Elul, in which we are now, about its importance and meaning in the life of every person.

Students prepare for Rosh Hashanah and make plans for the next 5783 year with great faith that the next year will be peaceful.