Two graduates of Odessa's Or Avner Jewish school who serve as soldiers, one injured in Ukraine and the other hurt while serving in Gaza, welcomed the new school year for Jewish students and wished them a fruitful year.
Viktor Kubechik, a Jewish Ukrainian soldier who was seriously injured in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, arrived at the opening ceremony of the new school year on Tuesday in Odessa’s Or AvnerJewish school and congratulated the students ahead of the new year, wishing that the war will come to a quick close.
Kubechik, a graduate of the school, was accompanied by southern Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Avraham Wolff. Shortly after his words, another one of the school’s graduates, Yossef Yitzchak Tudoron who was injured as part of his IDF service in Gaza, recited a chapter of Psalms to bless the students and the new school year via live feed from Israel.
Meanwhile, the school year started in dozens of Or Avner Jewish schools across numerous former Soviet Union countries, including Russia and Ukrainem, as well as other states. Major schools are located in cities such as Rostov, Zhytomyr and Kyiv.
The opening of Jewish schools was marked by emotional celebrations, where some students received new tzitzit (Jewish knotted ritual fringes). Chabad emissaries delivered Torah lessons to parents, strengthening their sense of Jewish pride and the great privilege of having their children educated in Jewish institutions.
Ahead of the new school year, the Or Avner educational team launched a variety of educational productions and specific teaching aids, including a detailed student journal. This journal integrates the Jewish calendar, holidays, special occasions and notable Hasidic dates.