Everyone will be fine: Passover is just a few days away, and Jewish communities in Ukraine are making final preparations for the holiday, centered on organizing public 'seders', with the estimated participation of tens of thousands of Jews. This will be another Passover under fire, in the relentless routine of war, and with many challenges.
These days, trucks loaded with preserved matzos made in Israel, wine, poultry, and kosher dairy products are crossing the country, as part of a huge operation led by the Chabad network in the country, JRNU. The goal: to bring the joy of the holiday to every Jewish home, from the big cities to the remote villages, even in the complex conditions of the incessant war.
Over 100 tons of kosher food for Passover will be distributed to Jews in Jewish communities, through 50,000 packages of Passover flour. In recent weeks, a special slaughter of meat and poultry has been conducted under close supervision. "Chabad emissaries, who accompany the communities throughout the year, do everything to ensure that no family is left without holiday necessities," says JRNU. The operation is supervised by Rabbi Yehoshua Vishetzky and Rabbi Simcha Lebenaretz from the Or Avner offices in Ukraine.
Live reports from the field are coming in from the Shluchim, describing feverish activity throughout Ukraine. The rabbi of Odessa and southern Ukraine, Rabbi Avraham Wolf, talks about preparations for a variety of Seders for community members.
""There will be services for worshippers in the central synagogue, and additional services in various areas of the city," he says, "In addition, there will be a service for kindergarten children, another service for school children, and two additional services at the orphanage. There will also be two services for students." The southern city is preparing for dozens of events tailored to every age, from kindergartens to universities.
In the north of the country, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Glitzenstein, rabbi of the city of Czernowitz, says: "We are preparing to implement the Rebbe's instruction to bring every Jew a matzah shmorah, continuing our constant concern to ensure that all Jews in the community have their Passover needs. We are also preparing for the main Seder, with the participation of hundreds of Jews from the community.".
Rabbi Glitzenstein operates various teams that take care of each project separately: from bringing matzah and food products to all the city's Jews, including the elderly who do not leave their homes, to the central Seder. "Over the years, the Seder has become one of the most important events in the community, with nearly five hundred Jews participating.".
In the core city of Zhafrozhye, Rabbi Nachum Arantroy and the Chabad House team are preparing for a large-scale distribution of food products and preserved matzah. The city is eagerly awaiting the deliveries that will make the plans a reality.
In the capital city of Kiev, preparations are being made for the celebrations with hundreds of community participants. "We are renting a hotel for the holiday, for those who want to observe the holiday as it is," said the emissary Rabbi Simcha Lebenaretz. "We are also making sure that every Jew has matzah and grape juice for Passover." Rabbi Simcha says that hundreds of families will receive help for the holiday, through special food packages for Passover.
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