The Jewish community in the Ukrainian town of Zaporizhzhia, where is located, reported on Wednesday morning that a powerful Russian missile had directly struck the Jewish section of the local cemetery, where nearly ten thousand Jews from the area are buried.
According to the Jewish community, the missile hit overnight as part of a severe assault on Zaporizhzhia. At least two homes belonging to community members were damaged, but the residents survived. "We heard an enormous boom. Shrapnel flew into the house, but miraculously only the windows were damaged; the mezuzah protected us," recounted one community member whose home was hit.
The local Jewish community is one of the oldest in Ukraine. The city's rabbi and Chabad emissary, Rabbi Nachum Ehrentreu, arrived in the city 30 years ago and revitalized the Jewish community. He established a synagogue and a range of Torah and charity institutions serving the entire community.
Even after the outbreak of war with Russia, Ehrentreu stayed with the Jewish community. Many Jewish residents fled the city, but others from nearby areas joined the community.
Ehrentreu called the damage to Jewish graves painful. "Seeing the desecrated and damaged tombstones is deeply painful. Even amid this terrible darkness, we continue to spread light and prepare for Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays. Together with Chabad Ukraine, the Jewish Relief Network Ukraine, and the country's rabbis, we will bring the light of the holidays to the Jewish communities and pray wholeheartedly for a good and sweet year in every sense," he said.