From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Top Ukraine rabbi brings aid to newly liberated city of Kherson
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman of Kyiv’s Brodsky Synagogue visits the recently liberated Ukrainian city of Kherson, and meets with the regional governor to discuss how he can assist the city in rebuilding.
Azman comes with a truck bearing 18 tons of food, medicine, and water.
“There is no electricity, there’s no water, there’s nothing,” says Azman, speaking to The Times of Israel, as he crossed checkpoints from Mykolaiv to Kyiv. “It’s a catastrophe. The Russians stole everything, computers, cars, everything.”
The governor gave Azman a list of requests for aid from the Jewish community in Kyiv.
“It is still very dangerous to be there. There are still mines on the roads,” he says.
He also visits the Jewish community in Mykolaiv, and distributes several hundred challah rolls before the Jewish sabbath tomorrow night. “There are about 500 Jews,” he says, “and there are many people who felt isolated that have become part of the community during the war.”
A team of Ukrainian Jews and Israeli volunteers remains behind in Mykolaiv to manage the rabbi’s humanitarian effort in Kherson.
