Synagogue in Kherson, Ukraine, hit by missile; rabbi had reportedly left moments earlier to affix mezuzah

A synagogue in Kherson, Ukraine, was hit by a missile, causing significant damage to the building, according to a social media account affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.

But the posts relate that the rabbi of the synagogue, Yosef Yitzchak Wolff, missed the strike by minutes because he had left the building to affix a mezuzah to the doorpost of a local home.

A post on X by Chabad.org shares photos of the damage, including a large hole in the ceiling of the building and debris on the floor of the sanctuary. According to a report on the strike in another Chabad-focused publication, Wolff’s office was also damaged.

A missile directly struck the main synagogue in Kherson, Ukraine, causing severe damage to the synagogue and the office of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Wolff. He narrowly escaped, having left minutes earlier to affix a mezuzah at a community member’s home. pic.twitter.com/9vHr84gvwL

— Chabad.org (@Chabad) October 23, 2025

Kherson, in southern Ukraine, has been the site of heavy fighting between Ukraine and invading Russian forces.

Wolff is quoted in multiple outlets calling the incident ” a clear moment of hashgacha pratis,” or divine supervision.

“The walls shook, and the sanctuary, the heart of the community, was completely destroyed,” he is quoted as saying. “But our spirit will not be broken. We will strengthen the community and rebuild the synagogue so that prayers can continue to be heard there, God willing.”

This is not the first time Wolff has narrowly avoided a strike in the three-and-a-half-year war. In July, according to Chabad.org, a Russian suicide drone hit the family’s car, crumpling the front of the vehicle.

Wolff, his wife, and their 19-year-old daughter were not injured in that incident.