A group of some 155 Ukrainian community rabbis and Chabad emissaries have decided to return to Ukraine gradually to help the war-torn country's Jewish communities and institutions survive.
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The decision was made at a special meeting held in New York last week.
The rabbis, many of whom were rescued following Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, conducted an in-depth review of efforts to rescue hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian Jews and move them to safety; welfare efforts for Ukrainian refugees across the globe; and the ongoing efforts of Chabad rabbis and emissaries to establish a foundation for continued activity on the ground and from afar.
The high point of the meeting was a decision to reopen Ukraine's Jewish institutions and begin sending community rabbis and Chabad personnel back to their cities and towns. There are currently some 155 rabbis serving some 30 Jewish communities in Ukraine.
Since the Ukraine war began, most rabbis have been helped to flee their home cities because of battles being fought close by. They continued to direct their communities from abroad, sending in food and medical supplies to the Jews left behind. In some places like Odesa or Kherson, rabbis remained with the local communities.
Some of Ukraine's Jewish communities have suffered greatly because of the war, such as the one in the port city Mariupol. However, many Jews have remained, either relatively young members of the community of conscription age, or the elderly whose restricted mobility made it difficult for them to flee.
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