On September 11th, the 18th of Elul, Rabbi Fishel Chichelnitsky and the Jewish community of Kotovskaya, a residential district in Odessa, welcomed the arrival of a new Torah scroll into its synagogue. Rabbi Chichelnitsky, who has served the community for the past 18, joined with many families and friends to celebrate the joyous occasion.
The event began with a street procession that included live music, singing, and dancing. As the new Torah scroll was carried beneath a chuppah (a canopy used at weddings that symbolizes the bond between the Jewish people and the Torah), dozens of community members, guests, and children, streamed into the synagogue for additional dancing and festivities.
Everyone who attended to celebration was treated to a meal prepared by students from the Leaders Jewish University of Odessa, while Rabbi Chichenlnitsky and Rabbi Avraham Wolf, Chief Rabbi of Odessa, addressed the audience.
The entire Jewish community of Odessa is looking forward to celebrating the upcoming High Holidays, and we were privileged to provide food packages and special gift boxes, in hopes of making the New Year a little bit sweeter. Together we save lives and restore hope.
