Purim Fire: Hundreds of refugees hide in a synagogue in Kiev - for a Megillah reading

March 16, 2022   

Hundreds of members of the Jewish community and refugees arrived last night at the Brodsky Synagogue - the Great Synagogue in Kiev, in preparation for the holiday of Purim, and will be staying there tonight as well. These are refugees who came from bombed cities and were smuggled into the Ukrainian capital by Rabbi Moshe Essman and his men. The refugees will participate tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow in the reading of the Book of Esther. "I arrived in Kiev after a tour of the various cities in Ukraine," Rabbi Essman told Israel Hayom. "Particularly in preparation for Purim, between 150 and 200 Jews from the bombed cities arrived at the synagogue. We feel as if we were before Purim then, in the capital's rose garden. With God's help, we will 'turn around' and go from mourning to joy." Due to the curfew imposed on Kiev, many of the refugees will stay and sleep in the synagogue. Rabbi Essman told Israel Hayom that he moves on the roads without fear and saves lives. "I have no time to be afraid or worried. I am traveling the roads on a sacred mission of saving lives.".