UKRAINE (VINnews) — This past Shabbos, the Chief Rabbi of Odessa heroically rescued 250 orphan children from potential tragedy. Rabbi Shlomo Baksht determined that it was permissible to travel on Shabbos in order to flee the country.
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The terrifying drama began Thursday evening, when heavy Russian bombings rocked the area near the orphanage.
“We just received an update that there were three terrible explosions near the orphanage. The girls were very anxious, sitting and crying. We are trying to move them to the city center next to us. The situation is becoming more dangerous from one moment to the next,” said Rabbi Baksht.
In a heroic act, the Chief Rabbi of Odessa broke Shabbat observance in order to bring 250 orphans from his city to safety in the midst of the ongoing violence. "I told them that we are here to fulfill God's will, and on this Shabbat, His will is for us to escape to save lives." pic.twitter.com/kyJLq6o054
— Humans Of Judaism (@HumansOfJudaism) March 1, 2022
After speaking with senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Jewish community decided to flee westward.
On Friday morning, eight buses set off, with all of the orphans onboard, as well as the orphanage staff, Rabbi Baksht, his daughter Shira and his partner Rabbi Rafael Kruskal.
A few hours after they fled Odessa, Russian missiles landed near the Jewish community where they had been located hours earlier.
“We had a great miracle that we got out of there on time,” said Rabbi Baksht, “a really great miracle.”
The journey lasted through Friday night into Shabbos morning, and the Rabbi decided that the proper decision was to continue traveling for pikuach nefesh.
“I told them that we are here to fulfill God’s will, and on this Shabbat, His will is for us to escape to save lives,” he said
On Friday the Rabbi told community members, “We will continue to travel on Shabbos because it is a matter of mental supervision. Everyone will turn off their mobile phones, but on every bus there will be one mobile left open in case of an emergency.”
At one point they stopped in the dark and Rabbi Raphael Kruskal recited Kiddush, adding a taste of the Shabbos atmosphere during an unthinkably difficult time.
Rabbi Baksht described the superhuman effort of the staff.
“The babysitters on the baby bus held the toddlers in their arms for many hours. It was not easy.”
Wow a true tzaddik
Those kids are SO CUTE! Bless the Rabbi for saving them from Russian terror. But there are still 40,000 children in Kiyv!
I’m just wondering about such a high number of kids in an orphanage including babies, according to the article. There are so many people who would love to adopt and others who would give a child a home if they knew it was needed. Just wondering why there isn’t more of a movement? Wouldn’t children be better off in families than an orphanage. It is heartbreaking to think about and to see such cute faces without families and parents to call their own.
I don’t know if stopping the bus to make kiddush while fleeing on Shabbos because of Piekuach nefesh is correct.
but I am NOT a rav…..
A little more detail on the orphans would be nice. Are all these kids Jewish? 250 Jewish orphans in one city seems like a very high number.
Just curious.
It’s not breaking Shabbos to travel on a bus or carry a mobile or save lives. Rest for Shabbos is about not doing labor or following weekday habits, and was that way for centuries before the religion was changed by control freaks.