The Jewish high school in Odessa sustained extensive damage Wednesday night in a large-scale air attack on Ukraine. The Mishpacha Children’s Home was also impacted; miraculously, no one was harmed, thanks to quick thinking and swift action. The 124 children in the Home were rushed to safety moments before the strikes: "We barely had time to close the door of the shelter, and then the big explosion came,” said one of the staff members, “it shook the entire street."
For decades the school has provided Jewish education to teenagers, including orphans from the adjacent children' s home, and internally displaced kids from the outskirts of Ukraine. For now, while the school is unusable, the secondary school students will borrow space in the elementary school until more permanent arrangements can be made.
"It's hard, and the heart hurts," says Rebbetzin Chaya Wolff, who oversees the Jewish network of schools in Odessa. "The youth are sitting in classrooms that were built for younger children, sitting in hallways and shelters, which were adapted this morning to also accommodate the high school. It's not easy, but when there's room in the heart, there's room in the classrooms too," she noted.
Rabbi Avraham Wolff, Chief Rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine, who founded and runs the network of Jewish institutions in the regions, is not even considering giving up: "We have rebuilt in the past," he says," and we will rebuild again. The many institutions that support the Odessa Jewish community include the orphanage, schools, care senior centers, and refugee shelters, have operated continuously through the war, through every attack, every power outage, every night of uncertainty, and even on this dark night."
When the first air raid siren sounded, the staff at the orphanage were immediately on their feet. It wasn’t the first time (or even the hundredth time) in recent years:
"As soon as we heard the alarm, we woke up the older children," says Rabbi Wolff. "The staff and older children helped get the little ones out of bed; we took them in our arms to the shelter. The speed with which we acted was more important than ever this time. We realized that right next to us there was a direct and fatal hit."
Rabbi and Rebbetzin Wolff emphasized the resourcefulness of the staff. "Every caregiver knows their role," they say. "Every child knows where to run. At the orphanage, they don't wait for instructions, they simply react and act correctly. We've done it hundreds of times. This is our reality. And tonight, it saved lives."
This morning, the orphanage staff sat with the children, explaining and reassuring them. Damaged windows and doors will be repaired. Damaged furniture in the bedrooms will be replaced. But, "the children are the first priority," says Rabbi Wolff. "Above all else, we make sure they feel safe. That they know there is someone who loves them, someone who cares for them, someone who won't leave. Only then do we rebuild."
Together we save lives and restore hope.
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