NEW YORK (VINnews) — Clips taken by gentiles on Shabbos show Jewish refugees making kiddush on Friday night in the open while fleeing from the Ukraine.
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Over the entire Shabbos a convoy of four buses with hundreds of refugees from the Jewish community of Odessa travelled towards the Western Ukraine on a dramatic and tense journey. The journey was illegal since Ukrainians aged 18-65 are not permitted to leave their cities but despite this the convoy succeeded in reaching the western region of the country.
Rabbi Aharon Motouz, representative of Dirshu in the Ukraine, said that there was heavy traffic the entire Shabbos as millions escaped westwards. “We drove almost the whole time. On Friday night we stopped for a few minutes, said Kabalas Shabbos, made kiddush and ate a bit of chalah and then continued our journey. It was tense the whole way and we were scared of arrest the whole time. At some points we drove on the wrong side of the road.”
תיעוד מצמרר: "ויכולו השמיים" הרב רפי קרוסקל מאודסה בקידוש ליל שבת של אוטובוס הפליטים הנמלטים מאוקראינה (צולם ע"י גוי) pic.twitter.com/Wzn2RKR7V4
— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) February 26, 2022
“There are huge backups across the country and armed Ukrainian soldiers are everywhere. Officially nobody aged over 18 can leave the country but we have lots of kids so they let us through. We travelled for nearly two days but Baruch Hashem on Shabbos at 4 PM we arrived at our destination. We davened Mincha, then heard havdala and now we can rest from our journey.”
הרב שלמה בקשט רבה של אודסה, וחלק מבני קהילתו, בתפילת מנחה כעת בדרכם להימלט מאוקראינה pic.twitter.com/EkSw27a9Oq
— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) February 25, 2022
Rabbi Shlomo Bakst of Odessa leads mincha prayers before shabbos
Rabbi Motouz, who was interviewed by B’Chadrei, said that he could not specify where they are as “the situation is still uncertain” and he doesn’t know what will happen in the next few days. His brother was conscripted to the army and is on the front and his mother is in a city in the north but he remains confident:
“The way to Kyiv is not so easy and there is opposition which has succeeded in stopping them. Our hope is that the war will not continue too long and the world will stop Putin. There are reports that Germany will give us anti-tank weapons. I hope we’ll receive more assistance. If Putin gets into a mess he will run away. The world must support us now. What the Russians are doing now is a serious crime.”
Vladimir Putin is a tyrant, a liar and a thug. The man who says he’s come to Ukraine to “de-nazify” it is forcing Jews to flee their homes and houses of worship. https://t.co/CvVe4qUyv3
— Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) February 26, 2022
Gabay of main shul in Odessa bids farewell before leaving shul to flee to the west
Rabbi Motouz said that the group intends to set up study groups where they are and continue their regular studies despite concern that Russia will overrun the entire country. “We hope and pray it won’t happen.”
He’s no gabbai! That is R’ Rephoel Kruskal, the executive director of Tikva Institutions in Odessa. A man who almost singlehandedly procured tens of millions of dollars to build orphanages, schools and yeshivas for boys and girls, and is in charge of financing the whole community. You can understand why he is so emotional having to leave it all behind.
I wonder if when a person’s life is in danger, is it halachicly correct to take a moment out of fleeing to make kidush?
That’s not the gabbay of the shul. That’s Rabbi Refoel Kruskal
Its not the Ukrainian charedi Jews’ fight. But secular Jews, like the democratically elected President will stand and fight to the end. Yasher koach!