The Moldovan town of Rashkov has witnessed an extraordinary celebration not experienced in nearly a century – a profoundly meaningful Jewish wedding. The groom hails from the Jewish community in the capital, Chisinau, while the bride, a Jewish refugee from Ukraine, found a new home in the Chisinau Jewish community.
Under the guidance of Moldova's chief rabbi Pinchas Salzman, the huppa (wedding canopy) and kiddushin (sanctification) took place at the gravesite, graced by the presence of dozens of Jews from Israel and around the world who embarked on a pilgrimage to commemorate the Yom Hillula – the anniversary of the death of a great Jewish Hasidic rabbi marked by festivities – of the esteemed kabbalist Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov.
The town of Rashkov is in Transnistria, an independent region in Moldova that is under Russian control and is not recognized as an independent entity by most countries of the world. Against this backdrop, the remarkable wedding unfolded, attended by the extraordinary gathering.
In the company of a diverse gathering of over a hundred individuals hailing from Israel, Moldova, and various parts of the world, the newlywed couple and a group of refugees embarked on their poignant pilgrimage to the resting place of Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov.
Revered as one of the foremost disciples of the Jewish mystic the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Shabtai, a renowned Kabbalist who is said to have performed extraordinary miracles during his lifetime, died 278 years ago.
Orchestrated by Salzman, the journey was meticulously arranged by the local Jewish community, marking the second consecutive year that such a sacred expedition has been organized since the discovery of the tzaddik's tombstone by Salzman and community members the preceding year.
The pilgrimage included numerous individuals who sought refuge from the Ukrainian city of Kherson and its surrounding villages. Rabbi Yitzhak Halfon, the chairman of the Kanfei Emuna (Wings of Faith) organization, had orchestrated a daring rescue mission following the devastating dam explosion that ravaged their homes.
Despite the requirement of prior authorization for the refugees' entry into the Russian-controlled region of Moldova, their journey persevered without interruption. Enduring extensive delays at the border between Moldova and Transnistria, the majority of Ukrainian refugees eventually gained admittance to the pro-Russian territory.
"We came to pray at the grave, because they destroyed our house. Now we have nowhere to return, only prayers will help us," said Valeria, one of the refugees, a resident of the city of Kherson. Valeria, like dozens of refugees who participated in the journey to the tzaddik's grave in the town of Rashkov, lives in a hotel in Chisinau with the help of the local Jewish community.
"The refugees who went to the grave of Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov were crying out their bitter hearts in a prayer that they would be allowed to return to their homes and that the war and the bloodshed would soon end," Salzman said.
The pilgrimage began with learning and a spiritual atmosphere in the Jewish community in Chisinau. During the journey, the people prayed at the graves of other righteous Jews located in the country, including Yehuda Leib Tsirelson and Rabbi Mendel of Bar, as well as at the mass graves of Jews who were murdered by the Nazis in Transnistria during the Holocaust.
According to Salzman: "When you walk in the towns of Transnistria, the power of Jewish history, specifically those who were alive here before the Holocaust, is felt in your bones.
"Everywhere one looks, traces of a vibrant Jewish community's existence can be found in the form of buildings and cemeteries, serving as a testament to their rich history. Taking on the noble task of revitalizing this heritage, the Jewish community in Moldova has assumed the responsibility of preserving sacred sites like the grave of Rabbi Shabtai and others," the rabbi said.
In recent years, a remarkable resurgence and consolidation of these communities, particularly in Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, have been witnessed, showcasing their enduring strength.