The Jewish Community of Zaporizhzhia Celebrates Despite the Ongoing Conflict

OCTOBER 28TH 2024

Just one day after a rocket strike landed less than a mile from the synagogue and Jewish community center in Zaporizhzhia, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the arrival of a new Torah scroll. Miraculously, during the air raid there were no casualties, although windows were shattered and frames were dislodged: “Thank G-d, no one was hurt,” Rabbi Nachum Ehrentreu noted, “The community’s joy [at receiving the Torah] was overwhelming, filled with resilience and strong faith that better days of peace and redemption are near. The new Torah Scroll is dedicated to the safety, and security of the Jews of Zaporizhzhia.”

The festive event featured a parade through the city streets, singing and dancing in the synagogue, and a meal inside the large communal sukkah. “Especially during these tense times,” said Rabbi Nachum Ehrentreu,“with rocket attacks threatening daily life, it is deeply moving to see hundreds of Jewish people—men, women, and children—come together in honor of the Torah, reconnecting to their Jewish roots without fear.”

We are grateful for the generosity and hard work of everyone who made this possible.

Together we save lives and restore hope.

Together we Save Lives and Restore Hope!

Shlomo Peles
Executive Director
Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki
Dnipro, Ukraine
Rabbi Pinchas Vishedsky
Kyiv, Ukraine
Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz
Kharkiv, Ukraine
Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm
Zhitomir, Ukraine
Rabbi Avraham Wolff
Odessa, Ukraine