While the people of Israel praise God for the release of the hostages and the prospect of peace in the Holy Land, the Jews of Ukraine are praying for a peace of their own. For more than three decades before Ukraine’s war with Russia began, these children of God have depended on The Fellowship for help—a need that has only grown more desperate in recent years. This past week, as Jews in Ukraine joined in the celebration of Sukkot, a Russian missile struck a synagogue in the city of Kherson. Praise God, the rocket miraculously did not explode.
“The missile that entered the synagogue came in on the other side and stopped inside the wall. Come and see,” said the synagogue’s rabbi. “It went under the roof, exactly in the corner of the wall of the synagogue and stopped here inside. The missile is stuck inside. We managed to remove its engine, but the rest of the missile is stuck inside. If God forbid it had entered through the roof, we would have been in a completely different situation. I don’t want to think about what the situation would have been inside. There would have been a fire inside the building. It would have damaged the Holy Ark. Simply a miracle of miracles.”
This comes as Russia targets civilian infrastructure, like homes, apartments, and even schools and hospitals. During the strikes on Kherson, extensive property damage was reported but there were thankfully no casualties. The capital city of Kyiv was also cut off from electricity, its mayor issuing a winter warning to residents due lack of water and gas.
Winter is on its way, and in Ukraine and the rest of the former Soviet Union, it’s unforgiving. So, The Fellowship and our partners in the region know the lifesaving importance of aid for the elderly, persecuted, and poverty-stricken Jews of the region when they need it most. We pray for the people of Ukraine, and that shalom, peace, will shine on them, just as it has for Israel.
