Ready for Passover seder in Zaporizhzhia
(Video: Chabad Ukraine)
On the eve of Passover, Ukrainian Jews are preparing to gather around the seder table as free people, in large communal events that will be held in dozens of cities across the war-torn country.
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Despite facing a second Passover under fire, the Jews of Ukraine remain hopeful that this year they will be able to enjoy the seder without any bombings or disturbances.
Kharkiv: Wrapping up early due to security concerns
Communal seder in Kharkiv, a city that has experienced multiple bombings and significant damage in the past year, will end early due to the ongoing war
“At exactly 9:20pm, we will finish the seder and say goodbye to the members of the Jewish community," says Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz, the city's rabbi and Chabad emissary.
"From the evening hours, Kharkiv goes into full darkness. You can't see a thing and you can't move. It's not pleasant to walk around the street at such an hour.
We expect seven hundred participants in the seder, and yet, every Jew who comes to the seder in the evening is a great miracle. The whole situation is not easy at all. We all pray for a modern-day Exodus and the end of this terrible war."
Mykolayiv: Unde the watchful eye of the police
The tables are already set in the magnificent event hall at the Jewish Center in Mykolayiv, in anticipation of the arrival of the city's Jews.
"Since the war [began], the Jewish community has become more united," says the city's rabbi and Chabad emissary Rabbi Shalom Gottlieb, "this is something that is reflected in the desire to be an active part of the Jewish holiday circle at a level that has never been here before.
And also on Passover. We received many requests from the Jewish community to participate in our communal seder and we prepared for it by managing a large distribution of food, including matzoh, wine, poultry, and other products. The rescue center of Chabad JRNU [Jewish Relief Network Ukraine] provided significant assistance, and I would like to express my gratitude to Rabbi Shlomo Peles for their help."
According to Rabbi Gottlieb, every Jewish home in the city is now fully prepared for Passover. In addition to the communal seder, every family also received luxurious haggadots and aid packages.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Gottlieb says that they also received a request from the secret and regular police forces for details about the time and location of the seder as they plan to be in a nearby location to prepare for any scenario.
"We hope and pray that everything will pass peacefully with God's help," he says.
Poltava: relaxing curfew times to allow for the Passover seder
The Jewish community in Poltava Oblast is eagerly preparing for the communal Passover Seder.
The district's rabbi and Chabad emissary Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Segal tells Ynet that "In light of Passover and communal seders, there has been a positive change in the curfew hours within the oblast."
Kyiv: preparing for a record number of participants
Several communal seders are scheduled to take place in the capital of Kyiv. Notably, one of the most prominent seders will be held at Chabad emissary Rabbi Mordechai Loewenhertz's Jewish center.
Rabbi Loewenhertz expressed his surprise at the enthusiasm of the community ahead of Passover, despite the ongoing war and uneasy atmosphere.
The community launched a massive Kamha DePescha aid operation, providing aid packages to a thousand Jewish families with the help of JRNU, who have provided unimaginable help to the Jewish community in Ukraine.
The rabbi adds that the war has caused many Jews to awaken. Just before the holiday, fifty Jews - some who had never placed tefillin before - participated in the community's tefillin program. They came from different parts of the city, having heard about the pre-Passover activities, and were interested in learning more about the communal seder.
"It was exciting to hear each person's unique story about their childhood exposure to Judaism," he says.
According to Rabbi Loewenhertz, the raging war has caused issues in preparation for the holiday.
"Only in the last few days, we had to take the students of the school to the bomb shelter," he says.
According to him, "the curfew did not prevent many Jews from registering for our communal seder and we are waiting for a record number of participants."
Zaporizhzhia: The seder will be held for the first time in a school
The city of Zaporizhzhia, which is home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has been subject to countless shellings and is at the forefront of the war, so the local Jewish community decided not to take any risks.
"We have made a decision this year to hold our communal seder inside a school compound where there's a large shelter," says Rabbi Nachum Ehrentreu, the city's rabbi and Chabad emissary.
"The goal is that if something happens God forbid, and hopefully nothing happens, we can immediately go to the shelter and be protected.
We are organizing a communal seder for 500 Jewish participants, but we have a limitation due to the city's curfew, which requires us to finish by 11pm. Therefore, we must start on time and end on time."
Despite the concerns and limitations, Rabbi Ehrentreu signs off and says: "The role assigned to us by the Lubavitcher Rebbe... is to take care of every Jew and Jew from our city, and this is what we will do again this year on Passover despite the situation. May we all celebrate soon in Jerusalem."