REPORT – This still thriving community, forced to flee the war, denounces accusations of “Nazism” behind which Putin hides.
From our special correspondent in Kyiv
Fifteen people, illuminated by neon lights, gathered in the yeshiva of the Rosenberg synagogue in Kyiv. Some wear the bekeshe, the ultra-Orthodox black coat, others who are less religious simply wear the kippah. There is a woman in the next room. These are the last Jews from Podil, in the center of the Ukrainian capital, gathered for Shabbat this Friday, on the sixteenth day of the war that Vladimir Putin launched against Ukraine. They praise God by reading Ashrei; they pray for the salvation of their community, the Ukrainian army and the entire country, and explosions are heard in the distance.
“I stayed in Kyiv out of conviction to help the Jewish community and fulfill my religious duty to it,” the ultra-Orthodox says on the sidelines of the prayer service. For me, this war is worse than the Second World War, because I just suffered personally. My…
This article is for subscribers only. You have 86% of openings left.
Freedom has no limits, and so does your curiosity.
Keep reading your article for 1€ in the first month
Already subscribed? Login